*3 



'THE FROSTY CAUCASUS 



LONDON : PRINTED BY 
SPQTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE 
AND PARLIAMENT STREET 



1 

'THE FROSTY CAUCASUS' 



AN ACCOUNT OF A WALK THROUGH PART OF THE RANGE AND 
OF AN ASCENT OF ELBRUZ IN THE SUMMER OF 1874 



BY 




HOUSE AT BEZINGI. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS ENGRAVED BY ED. WHYMPER, 
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN DURING THE JOURNEY BY H. WALKER 
AND A MAP OF THE COUNTRY TRAVERSED. 

LONDON 

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
1875 



All rights reserved 



V 



v 



& 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTR ODUCTORY. 
THE JOUKKEY TO TIELIS AND KUTAIS. 

Odessa — Voyage thence to the Crimea, and along the Crimean coast 
— Kertch — The Eastern shore of the Black Sea — Circassia — Abkhasia 
— Soukhoum Kaleh — Sight of Elbruz — The Mingrelian Prince — Poti 
— The Rion — Our Dragoman, Paul Bakoua Pipia — Railway from 
Poti — The Dead Eorest — Kutais — Gori — Tiflis — Prompt assistance 
of the Russian authorities for our projected Journey — Engagement 
to meet a Russian officer at the foot of Elbruz — Sketch of the 
intended Journey— Tribes of the Western Caucasus — Mohammedans 
and Christians — The true Boundary of Europe to the South-east — 
Journey back to Kutais — The Story of the Brigand Prince — The Dwarf 
who always spoke the Truth — "What befell the Brigand — All made 
ready for the Journey into the Mountain Country — The Russian 
Map , h . page 1 

CHAPTER II. 

THE UPPER EION, 

Start from Kutais — The Rion — The Tsiteli, or Red River — Gelati — 
Apparent tranquillity of the Country — The Mamison route — Tkvibula 
and the well-meaning People there — Satchori Pass — Strange River 
— Nikortzminda — Ruined Castle — The Valley of the Upper Rion — Sori 
and its Priest — Utsora — Wilder Country entered — Gebi ; its Posi- 
tion and Inhabitants — Their Wanderings in the Caucasus and aptitude 
at Bargaining — Caucasian Powers of Speech — The Village Parliament 
—-The Schoolmaster — Departure from Gebi — Wrong Path taken early 
in the day — The Valley of the Zopkhetiri — Eloquence of the Man of 
Gebi — Passage of a ridge — The Rhododendron Wood — Mishaps — 
Bivouac by the Rion . page 45 



vi 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE VALLEY OE THE UPPER TCHEEEK. 

The Source of the Rion — Crossing the Main Chain — Snow and Mist — 
Our Followers — Terror of Crevasses — The Two Men of G-ebi and their 
Dead Ox — Passage of G-lacier Passes by Cattle — Great Glaciers at the 
Head of the Tcherek Valley — The G-uard of the Flocks and Herds — 
A Mohammedan Prejudice — The Hunter of Bouquetin and Chamois — 
Descent of the Valley — Grandeur of the Mountains surrounding it — 
The Glen of the Dych-Su— The Great Icefield— Ascent of the Slope 
on its Left Bank — Vast Glacier System — Bad Weather again — An 
Evening at a Chalet — Descent of the Valley to Kunim — Cau- 
casian Dwellings — A Cold Keception — Its Cause — Further Descent of 
the Valley — Great Flight of Eagles — A Narrow Escape — The Gorge 
of the Tcherek — Eeturn to Kunim — Caucasian Curiosity . page 83 

CHAPTER IV. 

BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GKQUP. 

Prices in the Caucasus — Start from Kunim — Position of Bezingi — 
Caucasian Dogs — An unexpected Follower — Arrival at Bezingi — 
Difficulty in getting Food — Curiosity of the Villagers — The Invisible 
Princess — Delayed a Day by Bad Weather — Start for the Urban 
Glacier — Excellent Camping Place found close to it — Dych Tau — 
Walk up the Glacier — Wonderful Ice Valley at its Head — Tau 
Tetnuld, Djanga, and Kotchan Tau — Question as to the Possibility 
of Ascending the last-named Mountain — Tau Tetnuld probably Ac- 
cessible — Col to the North-east of Kotchan Tau — Dych Tau and the 
Nameless Peak — Bad Weather again —Impossibility in consequence 
of passing over the Main Chain into Suenetia — Eeturn to the Camp- 
ing Place and to Bezingi . ...... page US 

CHAPTER V. 

TCHEGEM AND THE GOEGE OE THE DJILEI-STT. 

Departure from Bezingi — The Invisible Princess — The Pass to Tchegem 
— Its Eesemblance at one part to the Great Scheidegg — Striking 
View of the Entrance to a deep Gorge — A Friendly Chief — The 
Village of Tchegem — Keception there— The Chiefs informed of our 



CONTENTS. 



probable arrival by General Loris Melikoff— Curiosity of the Men 
of Tchegem— Sketch of a Reception by a Caucasian Chief — Absence 
of any Attempt to obtain Gifts — The Gorge of the Djilki-Su — Bad 
Weather again — Capture of a live Bouquetin — A Man of Gebi — 
Conversation with an aggrieved Caucasian — Doubt as to there being 
just Cause for Complaint page 142 

CHAPTER VI 

PASS FKOH TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAIST VALLEY. 
ALPINE AND CAUCASIAN SCENEKY. 

Start from Tchegem— Position of a Chief's Guests in the Caucasus — 
Character of the Country traversed after leaving the Tchegem Valley 
— Comparison between Alpine and Caucasian Scenery — A Farm- 
house — Inquisitive "Wayfarers — The Top of the Pass — The Koanta 
Glen — The Valley of the Baksan — Osrokova — Difficulty of getting 
Food and Lodging — Eloquence of the Man of Gebi . . page 162 

CHAPTER VII. 

TJETJSBIEH. 

Walk up the Valley of the Baksan — Heavy Rain — Sudden Change — 
A cordial Chief — Arrival at Urusbieh — Well-ventilated House — The 
meek Chief of the Village — His care for his Guests — The elder and 
greater Brother — Caucasian Etiquette — A substantial Feast — Diet 
and Cookery of the Caucasians of the North-West — Ascent of a 
Hillock behind Urusbieh — Valleys of the Adul-Su and Kwirik — Ab- 
sence of the Princes of Urusbieh — Ismail's Son andHeir — Excitement 
of the Villagers on seeing a Pencil used — The Hunter, Sotaef Achia — 
Ascent of Tau Sultra — Achia's Dread of Snow — View from the Summit 
of Tau Sultra — Elbruz — Usch-Ba, the Double-crested Matterhorn — 
Preposterous Story invented by the Suenetians — Return to Urusbieh 
— Rejoicings there on account of a Wedding . . . page 182 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE ASCENT OE ELBRUZ. 

The Valley of the Adul-Su — Achia and the Young Ismail — Necessity of 
Starting for Elbruz sooner than we had intended — Time required for 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



the Expedition — Minghi-Tau the true name of the Mountain— Deter- 
mination of a Chief to come with us — Difficulty about getting Pro- 
visions — Domestic Troubles in the Caucasus — Walk up the Valley — A 
False Alarm — Bivouac in the Forest — View of the Two Peaks of El- 
bruz up a lateral Grlen — Pass to the Karatchai Country — A Bouquetin 
stalked by Achia — Ascent to the Eock Plateau on the slopes of Elbruz 
• — Arrival of a Hunter with a Letter from the Russian Officers — A 
Difficulty Solved — Tungsorun — Sunset from the Camp — Start for 
the Summit — Relative Position of the Two Peaks of the Mountain — 
Huge Snow-slopes — A Wonderful Sunrise — Col between the Two 
Peaks — Final Incline of the Western Height — Peak ascended by Mr. 
Freshfield in 1868 found to be the Eastern One — An Extinct Crater 
— Doubt as to the Effect of the Earity of the Air — The Summit 
and the View thence ....... page 208 



CHAPTER IX. 

RETURN TO UPvUSBIEH — THE WAYS OE THE CAUCASIANS. 

Descent of Elbruz — Contemplated Ascent of the Mountain by Moore 
and the Eussian Officers next Day — Descent of the Valley — Caucasian 
Chatter — The Evening after a high Ascent— Eeturn to Urusbieh — 
Prince Mohammed — The Ways of the Caucasians — Their Powers of 
Endurance as compared with those of the Swiss — Caucasian Dress — 
Eeturn of the Eussian Officers and Moore — Their Expedition on El- 
bruz — Prince Mohammed's Account of a great Forest Country — Its 
Position — A Delicate Question between us and our Hosts — Their 
Farewell . page 241 

CHAPTER X. 

THE GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OE ELBRUZ. 

Departure from Urusbieh— A useless Horse— The Valley of the Kwirik 
—Bad Weather— Singular Grlen— A Shepherd's Camp— Caucasian 
Dogs— A primitive Tent— Bitter Bread a Luxury— The Camp at 
Nightfall— Start next Morning— Head Waters of the Malka— The 
Eagles — Volcanic Mounds — The great Eolling Down North of Elbruz 
—A Salt Spring — The Farewell of our Kunim Follower — Eeligious 
Feeling of the Man of Urusbieh — Col at the end of the great 
Down— The Track lost— The Valley of the Khudes-Su— Deserted 
Chalets .......... PA ge 268 



CONTENTS. 



ix 



CHAPTER XL 

UTCHKULAN. 

A beautiful Alp — Kapacious Herdsmen — The Valley of the Kuban — 
Eltiub — Position of Utchkulan — Cold Eeception by the Chief — The 
Russian Clerk— Change on the part of the Chief — Utchkulan Beer — 
Attempt to get Porters for the Nakhar Pass — An unlucky Offer — 
Exorbitant Demands — A difficult Position — Arrival of a Russian 
Colonel — Marriage Festivities at Utchkulan — Porters found for us 
by the Chief — His responsibilities as Banker to the Peasants round — 
Departure from Utchkulan — Strictness of our Followers in Prayer — 
A too early Halt — A Quarrel over a Sheep — The Wrath of the Men 
of Utchkulan page 286 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE KAKHAK PASS A1ST) THE VALLEYS OE THE EXUTCH 
AND THE KODOK. — THE LAST MAECH. 

Caucasian Dawdling — The Nakhar Pass — Poor View from the Col — 
The Southern Side— Great Change— The Valley of the Kliitch— 
Magnificent Forests — Descent of the Valley — Extraordinary Grandeur 
of the Scenery — A "Waterfall — A Mineral Spring — The Valley of the 
Kodor — Sir John Maundevile and his Account of the Cloud that 
covered the Heathen Emperor and his Host — Solitude of the Kodor 
Valley — Wonderful Fertility — The Tombs of the Warriors of the 
Kuban — The Tchkalta — Indolence of our Followers — The Engineers' 
Camp — The Farewell of the Men of Utchkulan — Their indifference 
to Fasting — Beautiful View of the Valley — Another Camp — Lata — 
The Malaria — Walk to Zebelda — Its Position — An Exploring Party 
— The Journey from Zebelda to Soukhoum Kaleh — the Greek Settle- 
ment on the Kelasur — Uncertainty as to the Track — Intense Heat — 
Thoughts on Caucasian Travel — The Valleys of Eastern Abkhasia — 
The End page 309 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Elbruz from the South-East . Frontispiece 

House at Bezingi Title-page 

The Men of Gebi . to face p. 75 

The Gorge of the Djilki-Su ,,152 

The Valley of the Baksan . . . . . . „ 186 

Tungsorun from the Slopes of Elbruz . . „ 226 

Distant View of Elbruz ,,298 

Map at end of volume 



4 THE FROSTY CAUCASUS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

THE JOURNEY TO TIFLIS AND KTJTAIS. 

Odessa — Voyage thence to the Crimea, and along the Crimean coast 
— Kertch — The Eastern shore of the Black Sea — Circassia — Abkhasia 
— Sonkhoum Kaleh — Sight of Elbruz — The Mingrelian Prince — Poti 
— The Rion — Our Dragoman, Paul Bakoua Pipia — Railway from 
Poti — The Dead Porest — Kutais — Gori — Tiflis — Prompt assistance 
of the Russian authorities for our projected journey — Engagement 
to meet a Russian officer at the foot of Elbruz — Sketch of the 
intended journey — Tribes of the Western Caucasus — Mohammedans 
and Christians — The true boundary of Europe to the South-east — 
Journey back to Kutais — The story of the Brigand Prince — The Dwarf 
who always spoke the Truth — What befell the Brigand — All made 
ready for the journey into the mountain country — The Russian map. 

Odessa is famed beyond other cities for its dust. 
There is a legend that, in former days, strong winds 
would raise clouds of it so thick and widely spread 
that mariners expecting to make the port were able to 
see neither harbour nor buildings, and wondered greatly 
whether the land by the Black Sea had suddenly 
yawned and swallowed up for ever Odessa and its 
people. Paving the streets has partly diminished this 

B 



2 



INTRODUCTORY. 



evil ; but the dust-clouds still rise over the unpaved 
suburbs, and had gathered in choking and blinding 
force round the railway station on June 23rd, 1874, 
when the train from the frontier discharged us among 
a struggling crowd of Russian peasants on to the 
narrow platform. We were four in number — A. W. 
Moore, H. Walker, F. Gardiner, and the writer of 
these pages. Our course had been straight from 
London, and our object was to get with as little delay 
as possible to Kutais in Trans-Caucasia, whence we 
meant to strike into the heart of the great range of 
the Caucasus. One of our party, Moore, had been 
among these mountains before, having, in company 
with two other English travellers, Mr. D. W. Fresh- 
field and Mr. C. C. Tucker, explored a large portion 
of the chain, but to the rest of us the Caucasus was 
new. We were all members of the Alpine Club, and 
as we had hopes of ascending a Caucasian peak, and 
of going over high Caucasian passes, we had brought 
with us a Swiss guide, Peter Knubel, of the well-known 
village of St. Nicholas, where every summer so many 
weary pilgrims halt on the road from Visp to Zermatt. 

Only four days and nights had been required for 
the journey from London to Odessa. The best way 
had proved to be, not as might have been expected 
through Vienna, but through Berlin. Thence we had 
gone by Breslau to Mystlowitz, a poor little town 
close to the frontiers of Austria and Russia ; from 
Mystlowitz, by a train so slow that ragged Polish boys 



ODESSA. 



3 



begging hard were able to keep up with it for awhile, 
to the sometime capital, Cracow. 

A short stay here gave time for a glimpse of this 
famous and now very miserable city,, where the Jews 
in their long black coats swarmed so that it seemed as 
if the place was populated by undertakers, only they 
were not undertakers but money-changers, though how 
so many of them could make a living where there 
seemed to be so little business doing was and is a 
mystery. I fear indeed that this, apparently the only 
industry of Cracow, is not flourishing, for when one 
of us changed a small sum a number of Jews came to 
watch the transaction, glaring with hungry looks, as 
poor children do through the windows of pastry-cooks' 
shops at the happy people who can afford to go in and 
buy. From Cracow the way had been past Lemberg 
to Pod-Wolcyska, on the Russian frontier, and thence 
through the remains of a great forest, and afterwards 
over a vast fertile plain, dotted in many places with 
windmills, to Odessa. 

Some excited droschky-drivers seized us, after a 
violent struggle with their fellows, when, somewhat 
dazed by the dust, we got outside the station, and tore 
with us over the sandy roads into the clearer atmo- 
sphere of the city, where good quarters were found in 
a hotel placed among the range of large buildings 
which overlook the harbour. The remainder of that 
day and the next were passed in getting what informa- 
tion we could about the Caucasus, and in laying in a 

B 2 



4 



INTRODUCTORY. 



small stock of things necessary for travel there. In 
both these quests we were much aided by Mr. Hunt, 
the English Vice-Consul, to whose kindness we were 
most deeply indebted. Without him indeed we should 
have fared ill ; for, though there are many foreign 
traders at Odessa, the Russians predominate, and con- 
trary to the belief usually held, Russians are wonder- 
fully given to speaking their own language, of which 
difficult tongue we were all unfortunately ignorant. 

The spoilt traveller of to-day is moved to some 
anger when he finds that a city exists principally for 
the people who live in it, and that there has not been 
sufficient consideration to provide picturesque streets 
or great sights for his amusement. Much could not 
be expected from Odessa, which is only some eighty 
years old ; and it must be said that it is, from a wan- 
derer's point of view, very uninteresting, though 
doubtless it is not found dull by those who carry on 
a flourishing trade there. According to accounts 
sometimes given, there is to be seen in this city, owing 
to its mixed population and commerce with the East, 
a medley of men of different race and garb as striking 
as that which was formerly beheld on the Fiazza San 
Marco at Venice, but I cannot say that I found this 
verified. Civilisation seemed to have exercised its 
usual tiresome influence in causing all men to be clad 
alike in hideous clothes, the only exceptions being the 
peasants in their blouses and boots, and the droschky- 
drivers, who, for some reason, cling to a national cos- 



ODESSA. 



5 



tume, and are, like other cabmen, the enemies of man- 
kind. 

Most of the streets have a poor look, owing to 
their width being disproportionate to the height of the 
houses. There is nothing distinctive in the shops, 
which, save in very few instances, offer only ordinary 
European articles ; and if the English traveller is for 
a moment gratified at finding that it is thought the 
highest recommendation to say of anything that it is of 
English make, he is, should he wish to buy, presently 
abashed when he discovers that the prices even of 
Bond-street or Piccadilly are hugely exceeded ; nor is 
there much consolation in being told that things are 
still dearer in St. Petersburgh. The discontented man 
need not, however, grumble at Odessa, as he will 
certainly have no difficulty in leaving it. There is the 
railway, and besides there are from the port two great 
lines of steamers — one to the west coast and Constan- 
tinople, the other to the Crimea and along the eastern 
shores of the Black Sea as far as Poti, whence runs 
a railway through Trans- Caucasia to Kutais and 
Tiflis. By a steamer belonging to the latter line we 
left Odessa on the afternoon of June 25th, with some 
prospect of finding the Euxine verify its right to the 
title of the c Black,' otherwise the stormy sea. 

Very shortly after we got outside the harbour was 
this found to be the case by the deck passengers— a 
varied crowd of Eussian peasants, Georgians, Greeks, 
Jews* and Armenians, such as we had hoped to see. 



6 



INTRODUCTORY. 



but had not seen, in the streets of Odessa. Although 
a moderate amount of observation might have told 
them that there was a pretty sea up, they began, after 
the fashion of deck passengers whose devotion to 
cookery is usually incessant, to prepare their food 
directly they came on board, as though a double- 
reefed topsail breeze a point or two before the beam 
was just the thing to give an edge to the appetite and 
add zest to a meal. Of course they wasted their 
eatables, poor people, for the steamer pitched and 
rolled heavily, and the common curse was soon on 
European and Oriental alike. No better off were the 
first-class passengers, except that they were not so 
closely packed, and were able to hide their too audible 
misery in their berths. The evil did not last long, 
however, for in the evening the wind lightened, and 
the sea w^ent down with wonderful quickness. People 
came out of their hiding-places, and gathered on the 
after-deck. Ladies were condoled with, and each 
man tried to look as though, whatever might have 
happened to others, he at least had not been sea-sick. 
The sea gradually became perfectly calm, and our 
craft, albeit not a fast one, made good way during the 
night. These steamers coast round the shores of the 
Crimea from Eupatoria to Kaffa, and the next day, 
after touching at the first-named place, we put into 
Sevastopol at about noon. The stay was not long 
enough to let travellers see anything of this town, so 
intensely interesting to Englishmen, nor, had it been 



THE CRIMEAN COAST. 



7 



otherwise, should I venture on any account of what 
has been so often and so well described. One fact 
regarding Sevastopol should, however, be mentioned. 
It is sometimes said that the rebuilding of the place 
is going on rapidly. Eebuilding there certainly is, 
but the rapidity can hardly have been of the American 
order. Many ruins yet exist, and the great barrack 
in the centre is still a mere wreck, to all appearance 
untouched since the days of the war. 

After Balaklava, which was passed at three o'clock, 
the character of the previously dull seaboard quickly 
changes, and during the rest of the afternoon the 
steamer's course was along the famous south-western 
coast of the Crimea, celebrated alike for its beauty 
and its gentle climate, and so fondly sought by great 
and wealthy Russians. Above are bold cliffs, below 
on the slopes which come down to the sea are rich 
woodlands, cultivated grounds, and many vineyards, 
the vegetation extending to the very water's edge — 
altogether a beautiful and fertile coast, much re- 
sembling some parts of that which rises over the 
Tyrrhenian Sea. There are numerous villas along 
this sunny shore, the most famous being Aloupka 
built by an Englishman for Prince Woronsow, Ori- 
anda belonging to the Grand Duke Constantine, and 
Livadia belonging to the Emperor. The last two are 
close to the watering-place of Yalta, where we anchored 
for a time in the evening. 

After touching early the next morning at KafFa, 



8 



INTRODUCTORY. 



the ancient Theodosia, the steamer coasted along the 
flat green shore to the straits and harbour of Kertch, 
the latter of which was reached a little after mid-day. 
Though of much commercial importance, Kertch seems 
a poor, wobegone little town, dirty and evil smelling. 
It was famed, however, even before the Crimean war 
had made its name familiar, for the ancient remains 
discovered in it and its immediate neighbourhood, and, 
according to local tradition, it contained the tomb of 
Mithridates. Historians, however, gainsaying popu- 
lar tradition, as historians usually do, showed that 
Mithridates was buried somewhere else. Fortunately 
the steamer stopped long enough to enable us to visit 
the most famous of the remains which are around 
Kertch, the great tomb of some unknown king. The 
huge tumulus which contains it is some distance from 
the town. Into this tumulus leads a lofty corridor, 
the sides of fine masonry and the top vaulted by rows 
of stones projecting one beyond the other, their 
embedded ends being held down by the weight of the 
earth above ; the corridor opens into a large circular 
chamber roofed in a similar manner, and with walls 
of the like fine stone-work. The sleep of the un- 
known king who was laid here was disturbed before 
modern explorers broke into his tomb, for they found 
it, I believe, empty. 

The steamer sailed in the evening, and next day 
w r as passed in running along the wonderfully solitary 
coast of Circassia, whence most of the former inhabi- 



CIRCASSIA, 







tants have emigrated to Turkey,, where they have., I 
fear, found little reason to rejoice in their change of 
country. The name Circassian is given in England 
very erroneously to all the inhabitants of the Caucasus, 
as great an error as it would be to speak of the people 
of Great Britain as Highlanders. Circassia is a 
region lying on the northern side, and in the western 
part of the chain of the Caucasus, and extending 
some distance alono; the shore of the Black Sea, 
The people of this district are rightly called after 
the country to which they belong ; but the many 
other tribes who dwell in the valleys on either side of 
the range are different races, have distinctive names, 
and, though they may all be comprehended under 
the general title of Caucasians, cannot properly 
be spoken of as Circassians. It may surprise some 
English readers to learn that Schamyl was no more a 
Circassian than Rob Roy w^as a Welshman. Xow 
that we were drawing near the mountain region, we 
began to find that there were certain obstacles to 
travel in it which would* have to be overcome ; ob- 
stacles very serious to us on account of the small time 
at our disposal. We had left London on June 19, 
and for two of us it was necessary to be back on 
August 19, From Captain Telfer, R.jNL, an English 
officer, who joined the steamer during the passage, we 
learnt that it would be almost hopeless to attempt to 
travel in the country we desired to see unless we got 
orders from the governors of the various provinces, or 



10 



INTRODUCTORY. 



a general order from the authorities at Tiflis requiring 
the chiefs of the villages to give us all aid in their 
power. If not thus provided, we should probably be 
stopped at a very early stage of our journey by some 
suspicious chief, who would conceive that he was 
doing his duty in barring the way to doubtful travel- 
lers. To get an order from each governor would be 
impossible, and it was therefore clearly necessary to go 
to Tiflis, though it was certainly doubtful whether the 
authorities there would give us what we wanted, seeing 
that we had no kind of claim upon them, and that they 
might very well refuse to grant official aid to unknown 
wanderers. Some uncertainty as to succeeding in our 
journey began, therefore, to arise now that w r e were 
close to the actual spurs of the Caucasus. 

From Captain Telfer, whose acquaintance with 
Trans-Caucasia is very large, we received much valu- 
able information about the country ; and we were in 
like manner indebted to several of the passengers, now 
most of them Russian officers, who, I may add, looked 
on us with some surprise, although they were a great 
deal too courteous to bore strangers with questions. 
Among those who go by Poti to Kutais and Tiflis, 
travellers for mere travel's sake are rare, and that such 
vagrants should be anxious to reach the secluded 
valleys which lie under the great peaks seemed 
passing strange ; so the Russians wondered at us, and 
indeed their wonder was quite natural. 

In Western Europe the traveller lives in a world 



SO UKIIO TIM KALEH. 



11 



which has come into existence to supply his wants, to 
amuse and defraud him ; he is all-important to the 
section of the community among whom for the time he 
lives., and that people should travel for pleasure seems 
as much part of the natural order of things as that 
there should be commerce or agriculture. The ordi- 
nary wanderer in France, Switzerland, or Italy, would 
be as much astonished if asked why he travelled, as a 
peer would be if an usher in the House of Lords were 
to question him as to the advantage of an hereditary 
chamber; but when the region of couriers, ober- 
kellners, guides, and ciceroni, is left behind, the ap- 
pearance of an idle stranger journeying with no appa- 
rent object sometimes causes wonder, and there is a 
little curiosity to know what can have led him to roam 
so far. It is astonishing what difficulty he discovers 
in defining his reasons for travel. 

We anchored early next morning off Soukhoum 
Kaleh, the principal Russian station on the eastern 
coast of the Black Sea, a cheery little town standing 
at the foot of wooded hills on the shore of a pleasant 
bay. The place being a foreign settlement, there is 
nothing specially characteristic in its houses, most of 
them being white buildings of recent date, some of them 
bungalows ; but the Caucasian dress is seen in the 
streets, so that local colour is not wanting. Soukhoum 
Kaleh is on the seaboard of magnificent solitary Abk- 
hasia, now in parts utterly deserted, there having been, 
since the serious revolt which occurred in August 1866, 



12 



INTRODUCTORY. 



a large emigration from tliis fertile and beautiful land. 
Of the journey which we contemplated making in the 
Caucasus, the last part was to be through Abkhasia, 
and the question of its population had a practical 
interest for us, as men cannot live on mountain beauty 
even. though it be of the highest order, and where 
there are no inhabitants it may usually be taken for 
granted that there is no food. Our march was to end 
at Soukhoum Kaleh, whence we intended to return by 
sea to Odessa. 

Towards the south, off Poti, the waters of the 
Black Sea shoal considerably, and passengers usually 
change at Soukhoum Kaleh from the steamer which 
has brought them thus far to a smaller one drawing 
much less water. On this occasion, however, the craft 
which should have been ready for us had, we were 
told, fixed herself securely and comfortably in the mud 
somewhere a long way off, and not even the captain of 
our vessel seemed to know how those bound for Poti 
and Tiflis were to be taken across the shallow waters. 
The day w r as therefore passed in wearisome uncer- 
tainty, during which our little world on board the 
steamer imitated the greater world very closely in 
persisting in giving shape to the unknown. Suspense 
is such a hard thing to bear that men prefer inventing 
stories and then believing them, to remaining alto- 
gether uncertain ; and there were that day four circum- 
stantial accounts — all of them erroneous — of what had 
happened to the missing steamer, and four definite and 



SIGHT OF ELBRUZ. 



18 



precise statements, based on nothing whatever, that 
another vessel had been sent for the passengers and 
was within an hour of Soukhoum Kaleh. After a long 
hesitation, our captain at last determined to put to sea 
on the chance of a smaller steamer meeting him some- 
where down the coast. If this did not happen, we had 
the agreeable prospect of coming back and spending a 
week or so on the Abkhasian shore. 

To everybody's great delight, however, a little 
steamer, which was sighted next morning, made for us, 
and, with much gasping and roaring, managed to lay 
herself alongside. The passengers were at once sent 
on board her, to their great contentment. For us, 
indeed, there was double cause for exultation. A 
portion of the western range of the Caucasus is admi- 
rably seen from the part of the Black Sea we had now 
reached, and, as a most happy omen, the snow-peaks 
that morning were all clear, double-headed Elbruz, 
the highest of the range, being easily distinguished from 
his lesser brethren. To the south, over a great space 
of sea and land, were seen the mountains of Armenia. 

There were some Georgian musicians on board the 
little steamer, who at first would play nothing but 
brassy French airs, which, with the vitality belonging 
to things bad and vulgar, had travelled thus far 
East. Persuaded, after some time, to quit this 
tawdry stuff, they sang a Georgian love- song to a 
strange wailing melody, exceedingly mournful and 
somewhat pretty. By the kindness of one of our 



14 



INTRODUCTORY. 



fellow-travellers, I got a translation of the principal 
verse of this ditty, a very old one I was told ; I can- 
not say, however, that it has any character or colour. 
The lover tells his mistress that he desires nothing 
more beautiful and perfect than herself, that his heart 
has no misgiving about her, that his eyes are weak, 
dazzled by her beauty. A good many lovers all over 
the vorld have said much the same. 

After the song the musicians played a Russian 
national dance, which brought about far more vivid 
and picturesque love-making than that of the feeble 
lay. There had come on board at Kertch a stately 
Mingrelian prince, singularly handsome, standing some 
six feet three, a very splendid-looking creature in the 
beautiful Caucasian dress. He had been filled with 
much admiration for a Russian lady, one of the pas- 
sengers, and had devoted himself to her with great 
assiduity, without, I am bound to say, any response or 
encouragement whatever. Hearing the music now, he 
implored her to dance, which she absolutely refusing, 
he placed himself in front of her and there danced for 
some time with much energy and dignity, whereat I 
think she was a little moved, and indeed any woman 
must have been at such divine audacity. What poor, 
cramped, self-conscious man of the West would dare to 
show his devotion by dancing alone before his idol 
among a shipload of passengers ; or, if he ventured to 
do so, would fail to make himself ridiculous ? Rut the 
Mingrelian was not at all ridiculous, and, after dancing 



THE RION. 



15 



very well, sat down amid some admiration. He took 
his seat, as it happened, next to me, and shortly made 
to me a long speech in Mingrelian, which, unless I 
much mistook the meaning of his frequent bows and 
smiles, was full of goodwill. I knew not a word of his 
language, but I was very unwilling to be behindhand 
in courtesy, so I followed the precedent of the Foreign 
Office, and replied to him at considerable length in 
English, wishing him all peace, health, happiness, and 
prosperity. I think he was gratified, for he told a Rus- 
sian on board that he was pleased with me and conceived 
me to be of gentle blood, but that he had never heard 
such extraordinary sounds come from any lips before. 

The time had slipped away pleasantly enough on 
board the little steamer, and we found ourselves, 
sooner than we expected, abreast of the mouth of the 
river and close to Poti, where the water was to be 
quitted for what could hardly be called dry land, since 
Poti stands in a charmino; morass. I need hardlv tell 
the reader that the Rion is the stream down which came 
Jason and the Argonants, and, considering how long it 
has been in use, this waterway is certainly in a 
shocking state. At the mouth of the river is a bar, 
varying in size according to the condition of the 
stream and the winds that have lately prevailed. At 
times there is on this bar less than three feet of water, 
and at such a happy period had we arrived. Great 
efforts have, I was told, been made by the Russians to 
improve, for purposes of navigation, the entrance to 



1G 



INTRODUCTORY. 



the Eion, but hitherto without success, the bar forming 
again as fast as it was dredged away. 

To land at Poti it is necessary to enter the river, 
and the steamer we were on board, small as it was, 
could not pass through the shallow waters. A flat- 
bottomed craft was to come out to receive the passen- 
gers, and we were told that she might come that after- 
noon, or that night, or next morning or evening ; 
everyone grumbled, of course, but such delays, if not 
exactly liked at the time, are excellent lessons for men 
belonging to a country where people write to the 
newspapers to complain if an express is not absolutely 
punctual. We were not sorely visited, for the flat- 
bottomed steamer came alongside after we had been 
four or five hours at anchor, and, rather dangerously 
loaded, took us to Poti. 

I can only repeat a comparison already made of 
this place to the Eden of 6 Martin Chuzzlewit,' as- 
suming that settlement to have prospered and grown 
larger. The marsh in which it is situated is on the 
left bank of the Rion by its mouth, and the level of 
the ground is below that of the river, w r hich is strongly 
embanked. The one-storied houses are in most cases 
built on piles, and there are many of them, for Poti is 
a place of considerable importance. It is terribly un- 
healthy in the summer time, fever, as might be ex- 
pected, being common. 

At Poti we were to meet our interpreter or drago- 
man, a person of the highest importance to us, as, 



PAUL BAKOUA PIPIA. 



ir 



strange to say, there was only one man in the country 
who could fill this post for Western travellers, unless 
they possessed some knowledge of Russian. There 
were men to be found speaking several of the native dia- 
lects, and also speaking Russian, but what we required 
was a dragoman who, in addition to the native tongues, 
commanded either French, German, or Italian, and 
there was only one such in the land, a Mingrelian, 
Paul Bakoua Pipia, by name, who had formerly 
travelled with Mr. Palgrave and had subsequently 
acted as dragoman to Mr. Freshfield and his com- 
panions, of whose journey through the country mention 
has already been made. Paul Bakoua Pipia, hence- 
forth called in these pages Paul, speaks Georgian and 
its dialects, Russian, Turkish, and French. Georgian 
and its dialects suffice for the southern side ; Turkish 
is usually understood on the northern, the chiefs some- 
times speaking Russian. In describing the conversa- 
tions held through Paul's aid with the natives, his 
interpretation, as recorded at the time, will be given, 
without in each case repeating the statement that in- 
terpretation was necessary, and as the constant reitera- 
tion of praise is wearisome, I will say here, once for all, 
that he is a man of incorruptible honesty, always pains- 
taking, and devoted to the inxerest of those whom he 
serves. In addition to his knowledge of tongues, he 
possesses the rare qualification of being a good travel- 
ling cook, able to do well with very simple means. 
Since the journey with Mr. Freshfield he had been 



18 



INTRODUCTORY. 



lost sight of, and though Mr. Gardner, the Vice-Con- 
sul at Poti, discovered that he was somewhere in the 
neighbourhood of that place, we had been obliged to 
leave England without the certainty of getting this 
irreplaceable dragoman. On arriving at Poti, how- 
ever, we found that, owing to the great kindness of 
Mr. Gardner, who had given himself much trouble in 
the matter, Paul had been found, and that he was 
willing to go to the wilds with us. 

The Rion, a wide and powerful river, rushes down 
to the sea with so swift a current that the Argonauts 
must have found it easy work to pull down stream, 
though possibly the coxswain's w T ork was trying. It 
seems hard that there should be a railway station on 
its banks ; but that ugly sign of civilisation exists on 
its northern shore, to which travellers have or had to 
cross by boat or steamer, no bridge spanning the Rion 
at Poti when we were there, though there was one in 
course of construction. While waiting at this station, 
where the Orientals lost their apathy and dignity, 
struggling and shouting like a crowd of cockneys, it 
was pleasant to see that the Mingrelians and Georgians 
still held to the garb of their forefathers, and that rich 
and poor wore alike the noble Caucasian costume. 

The great army of travellers for pleasure, commonly 
called tourists, has not yet sought the railway from 
Poti to Tiflis, but probably no very long period will 
pass before portions of the vast hordes which an- 
nually overrun great part of Europe and spread to 



BAIL WAY FJROyi POTI. 



19 



Egypt and Palestine begin to seek the road through 
Trans-Caucasia. In the summer of 1874 the railway 
from Moscow had nearly reached Vladikaf kaz, on the 
northern side of the Caucasus, and is now, I believe, 
open to that place. Many years will probably not go 
by before a line over the Dariel Pass unites Vladi- 
kafkaz with Tiflis, so that from the eastern shores of 
the Black Sea there will be communication through 
Trans-Caucasia and over the Caucasus with the 
Russian railways. A tourists' route between Constan- 
tinople and Moscow will probably then be established, 
and the journey is, for many reasons, likely to be- 
come a popular one ; but atpresent travellers for mere 
amusement are few and far between; indeed their 
presence, as I have already said, excites some surprise,, 
and they are treated with a courtesy which it is to be 
hoped they will not forfeit when they have become 
more common and are better knoAvn. 

After leaving Poti the way was first over a morass 
by the side of the wonderfully rapid and powerful 
stream of the Rion, and then through that saddest 
scene, a dead forest. The marshy ground from which 
the trees spring drained formerly into the Rion, but 
now the railway embankment lying between the 
river and the woods has stopped the flow of the 
waters, so that they have gathered round the trees, 
which have thus, if the words may be allowed, been 
drowned, and very piteous they looked, still standing, 
but all dead. 

c 2 



20 



INTRODUCTORY. 



After the forest had been passed, and we had got 
something further on our way, there came in sight 
some of the snow-peaks of the Caucasus, which a^e 
admirably seen from this part of the railway, and 
perhaps in future times the view will be hailed with 
acclamations such as are heard when Mont Blanc is 
first looked on from the line to Geneva. The moun- 
tains, some of which are very beautiful, continued in 
sight until we drew near Kutais, whence later on we 
were to start for the high country, if it pleased the 
authorities at Tiflis to take us on our own valuation 
and treat us as respectable persons. At the station, 
which is some distance from the town, we now left 
behind Peter Knubel and Paul, with instructions to 
the latter to obtain all the information he could, or, in 
other words, to pick up all possible gossip, of which 
we found on our return that he had got together a 
very respectable stock. 

After leaving Kutais the journey was at first 
through a rich cultivated country, and then came a 
long and slow climb to reach the high saddle which 
marks the watershed between the Black Sea and 
Caspian. The valley through which the railway runs 
deepens and narrows in parts to a gorge, and is not 
without beauty ; but the view from the saddle when 
reached is uninteresting. Either the railway has been 
very lightly made, or else the inclines are exceptionally 
steep, for the upward course to the col and the down- 
ward course thence were wondrous slow. Almost 



GORL 



21 



everything on the line was of English manufacture, 
and we were drawn by a marvellous Fairlie engine — a 
very double-headed nightingale among locomotives, for 
it consisted apparently of two ordinary engines joined 
together by their boiler ends. 

Towards the evening we passed the curious old 
city of Gori, built on the side of a hillock, on the top 
of which is an ancient Georgian fort, consisting of a 
high skirting wall with towers at intervals, much 
resembling a feudal fortress, except that there is appa- 
rently no keep. Beyond Gori the hills are dotted for 
some distance with the entrances to the cave dwellings 
of some remote time, which seem scarcely to have 
received the attention they deserve in these days, 
when the traces of prehistoric man are studied so care- 
fully and so minutely. The entrances to these caves, 
arch-shaped at the top, are obviously artificial, and I 
was informed by a Russian officer of Engineers, who 
was in the train, that the caverns were of great extent 
and very numerous, there being at one place a perfect 
village of them. They must have held in their day a 
large population ; but the engineer could not tell me 
whether any human remains or flint weapons had been 
found, the caves having, it would seem, been hitherto 
examined with little care. The Caucasus is frequently 
spoken of as the cradle of the European race, and as 
some of the Caucasians probably sprang from the in- 
habitants of these caves, it would surely be becoming 
in the zealous students of our time to pay some little 



22 



INTRODUCTORY. 



attention to the residences of their remote ancestors. 
There would be a family interest in the task. 

After passing a famous old village bearing the 
easily pronounceable name of Mtskheti, and founded, 
according to Georgian tradition, by Noah's grandson, 
we arrived late at night at Tiflis, where the pleasure 
of ending a tedious journey was abated by having to 
say good-bye to some Russian officers whose acquaint- 
ance we had made on board the steamer, and who had 
come on from Poti by the same train we had taken. 
We had been much indebted to their kindness and 
courtesy for aid in the difficulties which beset travellers 
in a country the language of which is unknown to 
them. This was as pleasant as it was surprising to 
us, accustomed to the bustling selfishness of crowded 
Western travel ; but we found afterwards that it was 
no exception ; all the Russian officers we met showed 
the same genial desire to do the honours of their 
country well, and to be of use to those who were 
strangers in the land. 

Among the high officials there was certainly every 
disposition to aid travellers. The Governor- General 
of the Caucasus is the Grand Duke Michael, who was 
away from Tiflis at the time we were there, affairs 
being administered in his absence by the head of his 
staff, Baron Nicolai. It was thought that Moore's 
name might be known to the authorities, as he had 
made a journey in the country before, and there being 
no time for a letter to be sent, he had telegraphed from 



THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES. 



23 



Poti to the Baron's secretary, General Pribil 5 asking 
if the Government would give us the order necessary 
to ensure good reception in the mountain villages. 
Without this, as I have already said, travel in the 
unfrequented districts would be impossible. On the 
day after our arrival at Tiflis, Moore was informed 
that the application had been laid before Baron 
Nicolai, and that the order would be immediately 
given. Nor did the prompt kindness of the authorities 
stop here. After having explained where our journey 
was to be, Moore was told that a letter would be 
written to the officer in command at Vladikafkaz, 
through whose district we should pass, bidding him 
give us any aid he could; also that a similar letter 
would be written to the General in command at 
Soukhoum Kaleh, in whose province the last part of 
our course would be. As will be subsequently seen, 
both these promises were faithfully kept. 

It would be difficult to acknowledge too warmly 
such kindness and consideration on the part of those 
who, occupied with important affairs, could yet find 
time to attend to the requests of passing travellers. 
The facts I have given speak for themselves, and it is 
no trifling evidence of the good government of the 
Caucasus that the authorities are so willing to assist 
foreigners to travel in any or every part of it. We 
could hardly have complained if the order had been 
refused us, as we had no claim to any special privilege ; 
but this most necessary warrant was granted without 



24 



INTRODUCTORY. 



difficulty or delay, and with ready goodwill further 
help was given. This business was transacted so 
quickly by the Russian officials that Moore was free 
before the morning was half spent, and the rest of the 
day was passed in wandering to and fro in the crowded 
streets. Tiflis, capital of Georgia and chief city of 
Trans-Caucasia, has now been in possession of the 
Russians for upwards of seventy years, and, as might 
be expected, has lost much of the colour and character 
of the East. It may seem flippant to speak with dis- 
respect of so ancient and famous a place, but neverthe- 
less it must be said of Tiflis, to use well-known words, 
that it is worth seeing, but not worth going to see, 
that is, not worth going so far to see. The new part of 
the city, built since the Russian occupation, is of course 
much like an ordinary European town ; but old Tiflis, 
with its narrow streets and balconies, tells to some ex- 
tent of Oriental life, and the long-ruined Georgian 
citadel gives a suggestion, if a faint one, of historic 
greatness. This sometime stronghold is on a height 
which dominates the town ; towers, alternately round 
and square, connected together by a strong wall, sur- 
round the crest of the hill, turret and curtain being 
built of large flat bricks much resembling Roman bricks, 
and arrayed in courses alternately horizontal and ver- 
tical, which give a quaint look to the decayed old fast- 
ness. In fit keeping with the ruin was the huge carcass 
of an ox, which lay at the foot of one of the walls. 
The shops or bazaar of an Eastern town are, it 



THE BAZAAR AT TIFLIS. 



25 



must be confessed, nearly as interesting to some tra- 
vallers as its ruins, and Tiflis has two products specially 
its own, being rich in coloured embroideries and silver- 
work. To the former much praise cannot be given, 
for, though they show some ingenuity in design, the 
fatal effect of European taste is but too evident in the 
hard garish colours which have supplanted the rich 
but subdued tones in which the uncorrupted Oriental 
delights ; but the silver-work is of great beauty, as yet 
unmarred by foreign influence. It is for men that this 
handiwork exists. The Caucasian almost always wears 
a huge poniard, and he loves much, if he can afford it, 
to have for this a silver sheath and to hang it from a 
silver belt. At Tiflis sheaths and belts are principally 
made, Great varietv being shown in the designs of the 
latter, and both being ornamented with black inlaid 
work, which is sometimes of singular grace and deli- 
cacy. One street in the crowded bazaar which yet 
keeps its Eastern character is called Silver-street, and 
is tenanted by silversmiths whose craft, plied entirely 
for natives, still retains its old glory. 

Full of many- coloured life it is, that bazaar, with 
its small open shops wherein the sellers loudly chant 
the value of their wares, and the varied throng of 
Georgians, Mingrelians, Caucasian dandies, wild herds- 
men, Armenians, and Persians in its narrow ways. 
Many were the strange and picturesque types ; but of 
all we admired most a gigantic Persian, whom we 
wondered at greatly, and decided at last to be an 



26 



INTRODUCTORY. 



armourer carrying his stock-in-trade on his person, for 
thus alone could be explained his marvellous accoutre- 
ments. He was of immense size and strength, and 
carried two guns, three pistols, three knives, and a 
sword ; just the man, in fact, to vote for an unpopular 
candidate in Tipperary. 

While wandering about the bazaar we met Lieu- 
tenant Kwitka, an officer in the Imperial Guard, whose 
acquaintance we had made on board the steamer, and 
to whom we had been indebted for much friendly aid 
in translating for us, as he spoke English exceedingly 
well. It was our desire during the journey which we 
contemplated in the mountain country to ascend or 
attempt the ascent of Elbruz, the highest peak of the 
chain, and we had told Lieutenant Kwitka that we 
should be much gratified if some Russian officer would 
join us in our attempt to gain this summit. He now 
introduced us to his friend Lieutenant Bernoff, who 
was anxious to grapple with the snows of the great 
mountain. Under any circumstances, the companion- 
ship of a Russian officer would have been a pleasure to 
us, but there were some special reasons for what we 
had said to Lieutenant Kwitka, which may be of inte- 
rest to English readers. 

In the year 1868 Mr. Freshfield, Mr. Moore, and 
Mr. Tucker, in the journey to which I shall several 
times have occasion to refer, made the first ascents of 
the famous Mount Kasbek, which rises over the Dariel 
Pass, and of the eastern peak of double-headed Elbruz. 



MR. FRESHFIELD'S ASCENTS. 



27 



That the travellers should succeed in those two ex- 
peditions was not wonderful, for they had all three 
been long accustomed to mountain work in Switzerland, 
and they had with them a skilful Chamouni guide ; 
but I regret to say that, without any reason whatever, 
some doubt was expressed at Tiflis as to whether these 
ascents had really been made. That this expression 
of doubt came from Russian officers, I do not for an 
instant believe. Jealous of their own honour, they 
would respect that of others, and probably the sense- 
less suspicion was due to some small scribes such as are 
occasionally found in the capitals of outlying depen- 
dencies. It has now, I believe, disappeared, and I 
certainly shall not insult my countrymen by needlessly 
vindicating them from the puerile and contemptible 
aspersion. There can be no more doubt that they 
ascended the two summits named than that those 
summits exist ; and the more the mountains are explored 
the more strongly will the truth of the English tra- 
vellers' statements be confirmed. Indeed, witness has 
already been borne to the accuracy of Mr. Freshfield's 
account of Kasbek by a Russian gentleman, who made 
the second ascent of that mountain. 

We were exceedingly anxious to escape, in the 
event of our ascending Elbruz, any such unpleasant 
imputation as had been cast on those who had pre- 
ceded us, and also to put the fact of their ascent of 
Elbruz beyond any possibility of doubt on the part of 
the Russians. We wished, therefore, much to induce 



28 



INTR OD UCTOR Y. 



a Russian officer to accompany us, which, besides pre- 
venting any doubt being thrown on the expedition, 
would have the additional advantage of giving us a 
pleasant companion on the mountain. Lieutenant 
Bernoff hearing from Kwitka of our wish and the 
reason for it, immediately said that he should much like 
to scale the great peak ; and shortly after we had 
made his acquaintance it w r as settled that we should 
meet at the village of Urusbieh, in the valley of the 
Baksan, whence the ascent of Elbruz was to be 
attempted. We told him that we should not leave 
the village before July 28, and he said that he would 
be there on the 26th. Lieutenant Kwitka was not 
sure whether it w T ould be in his power to come also. 

We found that evening that the order for the 
chiefs of the villages would not be ready until next 
day, as it had to be sent some distance for Baron 
Nicolai's signature. It was settled, therefore, that 
Moore should wait at Tiflis to receive it, and that 
Walker, Gardiner, and I should go to Kutais to make 
all ready for a start thence into the mountain country. 
At Kutais would begin the journey for which we had 
come out, and this would be, in great part, through a 
secluded and untravelled country, some of which we 
believed we should be the first Englishmen to see. 
With the mountain of Prometheus and his vulture, we 
should have, alas, nothing to do, for, though a very 
similar myth exists about Elbruz, the scene of Jove's 
vengeance was, according to local tradition, on Kasbek, 



THE INTENDED JOURNEY. 



29 



and our projected course would be far west of that 
peak. On the southern side of the chain our wander- 
ings were to be in Mingrelia, possibly in Suenetia and 
in Abkhasia; on the northern side,, from Balkar to 
that part of the Tcherkess territory , which is known 
as the Karatchai country. A sketch of the line we 
intended to take may here perhaps be given with 
advantage. It is divided into stages, but not accord- 
ing to each day's march, as to do this would make the 
account tediously minute. Our projected route, then, 
was as follows : — 

1. From Kutais over the subsidiary range of the 
Nakerala mountains to Nikortzminda, and thence to 
Oni on the Bion. 

2. From Oni to Gebi, higher up the river. 

3. From Gebi to the source of the Rion, and 
thence over the main chain to the head of the Tcherek, 
on the northern side. 

4. From the head of the valley down it to the 
village of Kunim and the gorge of the Tcherek. 

5. From Kunim to the village of Bezinod. 

6. Thence to explore the great mountain group at 
the head of the valley, and, if possible, to pass over the 
main chain to Suenetia, on the southern side, return- 
ing to Bezino-i if this could not be done. 

7. Bezingi to the village of Tchegem. 

8. Tchegem to Urusbieh. 

9. Thence to the summit of Elbruz (we hoped), 
and back therefrom. 



30 



INTRODUCTORY. 



10. From Urusbieh (round Elbruz) to Utchkulan, 
in the Karatchai country. 

11. Thence over the Nakhar Pass, and down the 
valleys of the Kliitch and the Kodor to the Russian 
post at Lata. 

12. From Lata to another Russian post at Zebelda. 

13. From Zebelda to Soukhoum Kaleh. 

Much of the ground thus to be traversed was, to 
the best of our knowledge, new to Englishmen. The 
only English travellers who had before 1874 explored 
the high country between the Dariel Pass and Elbruz 
were, so far as I am aware, those already mentioned, 
namely, Mr. Freshfield, Mr. A. W. Moore (now of 
our number), and Mr. Tucker, who made in 1868 the 
long and difficult journey on each side of the range, 
which Mr. Freshfield has described in his graphic and 
interesting work, 6 The Central Caucasus and Bashan.' 
An English sportsman was many years ago in the 
valley of the Kodor, passed thence to the northern side, 
and went a little way up Elbruz, but I have been 
unable to ascertain where he crossed the chain. Mr. 
Freshfield, during his journey, was at the villages of 
Gebi, Kunim, and Urusbieh, but he approached and 
left these places by routes different from those which 
we intended to follow, and, for the greater part of the 
way, our line of travel w T ould be through country as 
yet untraversed by any Englishman, but very little 
explored by travellers of other countries, and in parts 



TRIBES OF THE WESTERN CAUCASUS. 31 



rarely visited by the Russians. As to the people with 
whom we should have to do, they would be, on the 
southern side, the Mingrelians, possibly the Suenetians, 
and the men of Abkhasia, if any should be found in that 
much deserted land. On the northern side we should 
be among the dwellers by the Tcherek and the 
Baksan, and the inhabitants of the Karat chai country. 
These different tribes vary greatly in character. The 
Mingrelians, though honest men are to be found 
amongst them, are said to be usually lying and un- 
trustworthy, besides being excessively indolent. They 
are not, however, a violent people, and I imagine that 
the traveller in their country is commonly in no 
danger from them. They certainly do not bear a good 
character ; and Malte-Brun, quoted by Mr. Freshfield, 
goes so far as to say of them, that 'they live sur- 
rounded by women who lead a life of debauchery, often 
eat with their fingers, and bring up their children to 
lying, pillage, and maraudage,' which is very terrible ; 
but I am afraid that the writer, if he had visited cer- 
tain parts in our own country, might have said that 
the inhabitants habitually dropped the letter H, and 
sometimes kicked their wives to death. The Suenetians 
are a race of much darker type than the Mingrelians. 
Liars and pilferers all of them, they are also, when 
they dare, robbers and assassins. Their country, 
though perhaps rivalled by some parts of Abkhasia, is 
generally considered the most beautiful in the whole 



32 



INTRODUCTORY. 



raDge. Those who have visited it never fail to grow 
enthusiastic when they speak of its magnificent valleys, 
its noble forests, its almost tropical vegetation, and its 
vast, natural flower gardens sometimes covering whole 
hill- sides. But according to all accounts heard in the 
Caucasus, this earthly paradise is inhabited by the 
most barbarous of the Caucasian tribes. The Suene- 
tian will lie, cheat, insult, plunder, and if he is in a 
bad humour, assassinate ; indeed, in some parts of their 
country, murder seems to be a habit rather than an 
excess. They kill each other freely, and though the 
traveller will usually be safe among them, owing 
to the dread of Russian punishment, their natural 
ferocity may now and then overpower this considera- 
tion, and Mr. Freshfield and his companions were in 
some danger from them in 1888. An event which 
happened in one of their valleys a short time before we 
were in the country shows the character of the Suene- 
tian touch. A priest, having failed to cure a cow 
which had fallen ill, was beheaded by its owner amid 
the applause of a circle of sympathising friends. 

A very different order of men are the Moham- 
medans, who dwell on the northern side of the chain, 
among whom we were likely to be for some time. As 
I shall afterwards have to speak at length of this 
people, I will now merely say that they bear in the 
Caucasus the repute of being a peaceful and fairly 
honest race, possessing sometimes considerable wealth 
in flocks and herds, though leading a most simple and 



MOHAMMEDANS AND CHRISTIANS. 



33 



primitive life. With regard to the natives of the 
western province, the Abkhasians, they are for the 
most part, to use a hackneyed phrase, conspicuous by 
their absence. Since the revolt of August 1866 there 
has been a great emigration to Turkey from this region, 
and some parts of it covered by a dense forest seem to 
have been for a long space of time completely un- 
inhabited. 

Throughout the Western Caucasus the superiority 
of the Mohammedan tribes on the northern side of the 
range to the Christians on the southern slopes is 
strongly marked. The future historian of the country 
will no doubt trace and explain the reasons of this 
great difference- At present it must suffice to say 
that it exists. 

The Caucasians of the north are as yet a fine 
example of a simple pastoral race, and still follow in 
their secluded valleys the patriarchal life of their fore- 
fathers. Although now a perfectly peaceful people, 
they still adhere to some of the habits of more warlike 
days, and in all else their ways are unchanged from 
those of the generations which have gone before. But 
it is to be feared that this cannot be for much longer. 
This little fragment of primitive life will soon be 
absorbed by the great civilised country on the borders 
of w T hich it exists. Already the railway is drawing 
close — it has advanced one step since last summer — 
and with the railway will come the civilisation of our 
day, which will rapidly weaken and destroy that which 

D 



84 



INTRODUCTORY. 



is characteristic in the life and ways of this ancient 
race of warlike shepherds. As few, very few travel- 
lers from the West have yet been among them, and as 
they may soon change or disappear, it is hoped that 
the attempt to give a sketch of their life and ways, of 
which part of this book consists, may not be without 
reason. It should be added that their region lies 
under the noblest peaks in the whole range of the 
Caucasus. 

Whether the boundary of Europe is to be held to 
lie along the crest of that range, or whether it must be 
drawn further north, is a question of much geographical 
interest, on which opinions do not even now seem to be 
altogether unanimous, although almost all the weight 
of modern authority is on one side. In a letter 
written to the ' Times ' after our return from the 
Caucasus, I spoke of Elbruz, which stands at the end 
of a spur on the northern side of the chain, as being 
undoubtedly in Europe. This was questioned by some 
Alpine critics whose letters showed so slight a know- 
ledge of eastern geography as not to require any 
answer. Trivial, however, as the remarks made were, 
they nevertheless indicated that some difference of 
opinion still exists on the subject ; and, in order to 
avoid apparent dogmatism, it may be well to state 
shortly the reasons for considering Elbruz to be in 
Europe, at the risk of giving what may be to many 
readers very trite geographical information. 

Various boundary lines for eastern and south- 



THE SOUTH-EASTERN BOUNDARY OF EUROPE. 35 



eastern Europe have been at different times proposed 
by geographers. To describe all the divisions sug- 
gested would require more space than it is advisable to 
give j but perhaps the proposal best known and com- 
manding most attention was that which had, or rather 
was supposed to have, the authority of the Imperial 
Academy of St. Petersburg. That learned body, in 
what was, to use their own language, a 4 prospectus ' 
of a proposed description of the Russian Empire, sug- 
gested in 1778 as the boundary of Europe to the south- 
east a line drawn from the end of the Ural mountains 
along the Obtschei Sirt range, and from the end of 
this to the Sea of Azof. This line would cross the 
Volga and apparently the Don ; but neither of these 
rivers is mentioned in the description of the proposed 
demarcation in the records of the Academy, 1 the 
passage being indeed so vague that it is by no means 
easy to understand from it, where, for the greater part 
of its course, the boundary was to lie. This was not 
astonishing in what was merely a c prospectus,' not a 
complete work or treatise issued by the Imperial 
Academy ; but, even if the full academical sanction 
had been given, it could hardly have established the 
proposed boundary against the just objection which 
has been taken to it of being in great part an alto- 

1 ' Acta Academic Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanse,' 1778= 
Prospectus d'une description generale, topographique et physique, de 
l'Empire de Kussie projetee par l'Academie Imperiale des Sciences de 
St. Petersbourg. 

D 2 



36 



INTRODUCTORY. 



gether arbitrary line not marked by any natural 
feature whatever, and moreover, of dividing great 
rivers so as to place the upper part of their course in one 
continent, the lower in another, a thing surely repugnant 
to all ideas of a continent. No continuous natural fea- 
ture marking the limits of Europe to the south-east 
can be found north of the Caucasian range, and the 
watershed of this great chain of mountains has there- 
fore been suggested as the only possible boundary-line 
of Europe and Asia between the Black Sea and the 
Caspian. This view was held by the late Mr. A. 
Keith Johnston, a high authority on such a subject, as 
need hardly be said, and may be considered to be that 
of modern geographers generally, save that some of 
them go still further, and place the boundary of 
Europe south of the Caucasian range. 1 It may perhaps 
be urged that theoretically a continent must be 
bounded by water ; but to this argument there is the 
sufficing answer that such a boundary is in many 
places wanting between Europe and Asia, and that an 
arbitrary line marked by no natural features whatever 
are a purely artificial boundary, and assuredly worse 
therefore than a great mountain chain. Which seems 
the most fitting limit to Europe ? the mighty wall of 
the Caucasus, or an artificial line drawn across country 

1 See the maps of Wieland and Kiepert, Weimar, 1866 ; Pfeiffer, 
Nuremberg; Brae, Paris, 1869; Chartier, Paris, 1869 ; A. Keith John- 
ston, London, edition, corrected to 1871 ; Magin and Pericot, Paris, 
1874; Saganson, Paris, 1874; T. Schade, Grlogau, 1874; B. Kozenn, 
Vienna, 1874. 



JOURNEY BACK TO KUTAIS. 



37 



precisely the same on either side of it ? Surely it is a 
reductio ad absurdum to oppose to the acceptance of 
the Caucasian watershed as a border line an interpreta- 
tion at once pedantic and doubtful of the word conti- 
nent which would leave parts of Europe without any 
boundary at all. It may then be assumed that the 
limit of Europe cannot be placed north of the crest of 
the Caucasus, and in that case Elbruz, standing some 
distance north of the chain, is undoubtedly the highest 
mountain in Europe; for to admit that Elbruz and 
Mont Blanc are both in the Western continent, but to 
assert that the latter is the highest European moun- 
tain, is merely to talk nonsense rather than abandon a 
cherished error. 1 

But I must now return to my fellow-travellers, 
whom I have had to quit for awhile. Having stopped 
a day at Tiflis, Walker, Gardiner, and I, travelled back 
on the next (July 3) to Kutais, Moore remaining behind 
to w r ait for the Russian order. The inhabitants of the 
capital of Mingrelia, for such Kutais is, showed, res- 
pecting the railway, an intelligence not unlike that 
of some of the rulers of our county towns, if the 
story told in the country is true. The easiest line to 
follow ran, it is said, a little distance south of Kutais, 
but the projectors of the railway were willing to carry 

1 If, however, it is thought essential that a continent should be 
hounded by water, perhaps the best limit 10 Europe would be the 
Terek and the Kuban. A line drawn from the source of one river to 
that of another would leave Elbruz in Europe, so that, even with this 
boundary, the supremacy of Mont Blanc would no longer be maintained, 



B8 



INTRODUCTORY. 



it to the town, or to make a branchy if the people of the 
place would contribute a moderate sum. This, how- 
ever, they absolutely refused to do, so the easiest line 
was followed, and now Kutais, we were told, was going 
to pay a much larger sum than that first asked to have 
a branch made. With railways, as with other things, 
history repeats itself. 

With all the impartiality of discontented travellers, 
Ave condemned severely the narrow economy of the 
local authorities as we drove in heavy rain from the 
station to Kutais ; but our attention was soon dis- 
tracted from railway arrangements, for Paul, who met 
us, had collected for us in the little town a very re- 
spectable amount of gossip of immediate interest to our- 
selves. There were grave difficulties in the way of 
our journey, it seemed. The rain had been heavy, 
and the rivers were flooded ; bridges had been carried 
away, and streams usually fordable could not be 
passed. A Russian who had started the morning 
before for Suenetia had come back, and wise men in 
Kutais said that the same thing would happen to us. 
But the floods were a small evil compared to another 
which threatened the unwary traveller. There was a 
brigand lurking by the road between Kutais and Oni ; 
a brigand of unusual ferocity and determination. Said 
Paul, ( He is a Mingrelian prince who, having com- 
mitted more than one murder, was seized by the 
Russians and condemned to be exiled to Siberia. A 
guard was taking him from Kutais to Tiflis, when, being 



THE BRIGAND PRINCE 



89 



a man of extraordinary strength and activity, he sud- 
denly struck down the soldier on each side of him, and 
jumped out of the carriage. He was immediately lost 
sight of in the forest, and pursuit was unavailing. He 
allied himself with one or two other bandits, and is now 
robbing travellers on the road to Oni. We shall have 
a fight on the way for certain.' 

We endeavoured to console Paul by some reflec- 
tions on the exaggerated nature of local gossip and the 
excellence of English revolvers ; the latter subject of 
discourse producing a much greater impression on him 
than the former. The sight of some ball cartridges 
added to his happiness, and he was in a fairly cheerful 
state of mind when we reached the dirty little inn 
which receives travellers at Kutais. We had told him 
to hire, while waiting for us, a couple of pack-horses. 
As a general rule, the traveller in the Caucasus does 
best to buy any horses he may want and to sell them at 
the end of his journey, as hiring them is not common, 
and is therefore disproportionately expensive and very 
troublesome. It was not advisable, however, for us to 
buy animals, as we intended crossing the main chain 
twice at least by passes which probably would not prove 
practicable for horses. Accordingly it was necessary 
to hire, and the day after our arrival at Kutais Paul 
brought to us a strange little hump-backed Mingre- 
lian dwarf, who was willing to accompany us with his 
two horses to Oni. As became a dwarf, he had a good 
deal to say for himself. After an exordium in 



40 



INTRODUCTORY. 



which he stated that he was a man of no common merit, 
and always spoke the truth, he proceeded to give an 
account of the brigand prince, whom he made out 
rather blacker tran Paul had painted him. Being 
interrupted after he had continued on this subject for 
some time, and asked w r hat he demanded for the 
journey to Oni, he named an absurd sum. 
Paul — That is too much by a great deal. 
The Dwarf — Not in the least. Let the gentlemen 
understand I never speak anything but the truth. 
You see there is this brigand in the way. For any 
danger to myself I care nothing, being a man to whom 
fear is unknown, as many will testify. If the brigand 
should attack us, I shall probably make him prisoner. 
But remember my horses may be injured. If they 
are killed, I must replace them, and for the danger to 
them it is just I should be paid. 

We were sceptical as to the existence of the bri- 
gand prince ; but we found that the people of the inn 
believed in him, and the dwarfs terms were agreed to; 
whereupon, assuring us that such horses as his were 
rarely to be found, and such a man as himself never, 
he bowed himself out with much stateliness. He was 
the very ideal of an Eastern dwarf. 

We were exceedingly glad to meet at Kutais 
Captain Telfer, who was preparing for a journey into 
Suenetia with the chief of the district recently ap- 
pointed by the Russian Government. In this expedi- 
dition Captain Telfer was, I believe, subsequently 



COUNT LEVACHOFF. 



41 



perfectly successful, seeing much of this most inte- 
resting country. We hoped at the time to meet him 
in it, as we intended crossing into Suenetia from the 
northern side of the range. 

I had an interview during; the afternoon with Count 
Levachoff, the Governor of Mingrelia, who, with great 
kindness, gave me much information as to the districts 
best worth exploring, and ordered two letters to be 
drawn up for our benefit, addressed to two local chiefs 
of considerable importance. This was exceedingly 
courteous on his part, as he was overwhelmed w T ith 
work at the time, being on the point of leaving Kutais, 
and I had hardly hoped that he would be able to attend 
to a passing stranger. Late in the afternoon Moore 
arrived, bringing with him the Russian letter duly 
signed, and imperative on all Avhom it might concern, 
and we passed the evening in destroying, to our own 
entire satisfaction, the brigand whom we clearly proved, 
according to the best principles of German criticism, to 
be a fictitious person, produced by the accretion of 
myths — a creature having but a subjective existence 
in the minds of the people of Kutais. 

But we discovered next morning the mistake of 
applying the historic method meant to be used re- 
specting things that happened long ago, concerning 
which hardly anything can ever be known for cer- 
tain, to existing facts which may at any moment show 
themselves in ugly opposition to the best constructed 
hypothesis, The brigand prince was proved to be a 



42 



INTRODUCTORY. 



reality by being captured and brought into Kutais 
next morning. We heard the news from Captain 
Telfer, who had seen the soldiers bring in the bandit, 
who was badly wounded. There was a curious story 
about this brigand prince, showing a simple state 
of society. He and his father had each sworn to take 
the other's life. The father went on the logical ground 
that, being responsible for the existence of so mis- 
chievous a person, he was bound, as a gentleman, to rid 
the community of him. I do not know whether the son 
would justify his desire by equally sound reasoning. 

Presently there came to the inn the Dwarf much 
excited. 6 Have you heard the news ?' he said to Paul. 

Paul — What news ? 

The Dwarf — The robber is taken. 

Paul — Is he ? Who took him ? 

The Dwarf — I myself, none other. (The bri- 
gand had been captured by soldiers some way outside 
Kutais). Did I not tell you I was a man without fear ? 

Paul (coming to business) — I suppose, now that 
there is no danger, you will not want so much for your 
horses ? 

The Dwarf — On the contrary. The price I named 
yesterday was the proper price for the journey to Oni 
and nothing more, for I am ever just in my dealings, 
and would scorn to raise my price to strangers for 
robbers or aught else. But now, as there is no 
danger on the road, there are many people going to 
Oni, and, one of my horses being ill, I have to hire 



THE RUSSIAN MAP. 



43 



another at great cost. Let the gentlemen understand 
that I am one who always speaks the truth. 

He was got rid of with some trouble and other 
horses were found., but not until it was too late to start 
that clay. All difficulties were now, however, happily 
over, and it was decided to march at daybreak next 
morning. Travelling accoutrements were put in order, 
which indeed was not difficult, as they were of the 
simplest kind, for Moore's experience had taught him 
that it was desirable to have as little baggage as pos- 
sible : and we had therefore so reduced our lug-gage that 
it would almost have been carried free on a French rail- 
way. To avoid weight we brought no tent, but each 
man had a mackintosh bag lined with flannel for sleep- 
ing out. We had a cooking pot — an absolute neces- 
sity in the Caucasus — and a very small stock of 
provisions. We all four carried revolvers, as need 
hardly be said. 

Moore fortunately had in his possession the sheets 
for the Western Caucasus of the Russian official map, 
made on the scale of five versts (about three miles and 
a third) to the inch, and commonly called the five- vers t 
map. It gives fairly well the features of the green 
country, but is often inaccurate, sometimes altogether 
wrong, in its rendering of the high peaks, ridges, and 
glaciers, and of the heads of the valleys immediately 
under the great chain. , This, however, is in no way 
the fault of the officers who were charged with the 
survey, as, at the time when it was made, to survey 



44 INTR OB UCTOR Y. 

the country at all was a work of great difficulty and 
danger. 

I gladly take this opportunity of acknowledging 
my deep debt to Moore, who has kindly brought to 
my aid in the preparation of this book his extensive 
and minute knowledge of the intricate topography of 
the Western Caucasus, 



4o 



CHAPTER II. 

THE UPPER EION. 

Start from Kutais — The Eion — The Tsiteli, or Eed Elver — Gelati— 
Apparent tranquillity of the country — The Mamison route— Tkvibula 
and the well-meaning people there — Satchori Pass — Strange river 
■ — Nikortzminda — Euined castle — The Valley of the Upper Eion — 
Sori and its priest — Utsora — Wilder country entered — Grebi ; its posi- 
tion and inhabitants — Their wanderings in the Caucasus and aptitude 
at bargaining — Caucasian powers of speech — The Village Parliament 
— The Schoolmaster — Departure from Gebi — Wrong path taken early 
in the day — The valley of the Zopkhetiri — Eloquence of the Man of 
Gebi — Passage of a ridge — The Rhododendron Wood — Mishaps — 
Bivouac by the Eion. 

There is a story, of course an Eastern one, of a prince 
who, having at the command of a magician or genie 
dipped his head into a bucket of water, lost all recol- 
lection of his former existence, and began a new life 
full of varied effort and struggle. He waged war, lost 
and won, loved and was beloved, until, after fifty years 
of changeful fortune, he suddenly found himself stand- 
ing by the bucket of water with the enchanter by his 
side, and discovered that he had but dipped his head 
for a moment, and that what had seemed a life of ad- 
venture had been contained in an instant of time. 

Now there is a grain of truth suggested in the wild 
extravagance of this fantastic fable. To most men, I 



46 



THE UPPER RION. 



think, time seems to have passed according to the im- 
pressions received, to the number of images, so to 
speak, on the retina of the mind, rather than according 
to its actual duration ; and a few days of unaccustomed 
travel appear, with their many vivid recollections, to 
separate one further from the days which have gone 
before than do weeks or months of habitual, mono- 
tonous life. Thus it certainly seemed to us when 
we found ourselves at last ready to start from 
Kutais with the all-important order in our hands, the 
brigand prince laid, the lying dwarf dismissed, and a 
couple of honest horsemen hired. The little inci- 
dents of travel had been so many and to a great extent 
so new, the change from Western life was so complete, 
that it was hard to believe that only seventeen days 
had passed since we left London. It seemed rather as 
though there had been a journey of two or three months 
or so, and, in like manner, the little difficulties which 
had beset us appeared in the light of great obstacles 
now at last overcome. Wofully disproportionate this 
was ; but I do not think that we were singular in this 
respect, and perhaps much greater travellers would 
admit that they also have made the mistake of seeing 
everything that affected their journey through a mental 
magnifying glass of no inconsiderable power. 

I trust that we had not indulged over-much in this 
feeling, and had not been unduly cast down when there 
seemed to be a chance of serious delay, but we cer- 
tainly were very joyful when we found that there was 



SNARLEY-YOW. 



47 



no longer impediment of any kind, and that Ave could 
make straight for the wilds. We held such moderate 
revel as the means of the hotel and a regard for walk- 
ing condition allowed ; said good-bye with great regret 
to Captain Telfer, who had to wait some two or three 
days for the chief of Suenetia, and went to bed hoping 
the best for the weather, for which we had to hope, as 
the Marchioness made believe, very much. We were 
to get off, if possible, at daylight. 

There was a kind of snarley-yow, a dog-fiend, at 
the hotel, who lay asleep all day when his noise would 
not have mattered, and ran about the house barking 
hideously for the greater part of the night. The brute 
had not even the time-honoured excuse of baying the 
moon, for the sky was black as ink, and he can only 
have acted as he did from utter viciousness, in which, 
indeed he was a type of the Caucasian dog, the ugliest, 
the most savage, and at the same time the most 
cowardly of the dog tribe. This evil beast selected 
our door for special attention on this evening, attracted 
by one of Gardiner's boots which he thought he should 
like ; but even his teeth were turned by the tough cow- 
hide, so he barked and howled at our threshold for the 
entire night. It was then for once a pleasure to get 
up at daylight, an act which, except under some such 
special circumstances, I believe always has been and 
always will be detestable to man. 

Very cold, poor daylight it was, albeit this was 
July 6, and there was an ominous look of rain to come 



48 



THE UPPER RION. 



in the dull sky ; but, fair weather or foul, it was cheer- 
ing to start, so the horses were laden with small 
delay, and at a little after six we were able to leave 
the inn. with all manner of good wishes from the 
frowsy host, whose very extortionate bill had not been 
disputed. I lingered behind for a moment, nominally 
to shake hands with a Georgian servant, but really to 
throw a stone at the dog-fiend, which, I am glad to 
say, hit him. I then followed the others through the 
muddy street. 

After leaving the town, our way lay for awhile 
along the left bank of the Rion by a wide and goodly 
path. Very pretty was Kutais as seen on looking 
back from various places in the windings of the river. 
On the right bank, a height dominating the town is 
crowned by a ruined castle which, with the cheerful- 
looking houses round it, is pleasantly suggestive, as 
such ruins often are, of evil times gone by, and of 
present peace and prosperity. To the north of us lay 
the hill country through which the Rion twisted and 
turned after the manner of rivers. We were not to 
follow its windings for long, our road lying to the north- 
east, so, at no great distance from Kutais, turning 
sharply to the right and crossing the spur of a hill, we 
left the valley of the Rion, which we were not to see 
again until we had drawn much nearer to the source 
of that stately river. With the Red River, or Tsiteli, 
swollen and impassable according to the Kutais people, 
we now had to do, as, after crossing the spur, we de- 



GEL ATI. 



49 



scendecl into the rich valley through which that stream 
flows down to the Kvirila, a powerful tributary of the 
Eion. Just opposite us, as we came into the valley, 
was Gelati, the great monastery of the Southern Cau- 
casus. An edifice more admirably placed it would be 
hard to find. Unlike our own monastic buildings, 
which are commonly on low ground, Gelati, high up 
on a magnificently wooded slope, just under a bold 
crest, seems placed there to rule the beautiful valley 
below. The white walls and li^ht-green roofs which 
mark the Greek Church stand out brightly from the 
dark mass behind, and, being under the ridge and not 
on it, the monastery has all the dignity which comes 
from a lofty site without the look of bleakness and ex- 
posure belonging to buildings which on a lofty ridge 
stand out against the sky line. The difficulties of 
transport must be considerable, but labour is cheap in 
the country, horses are many, and perhaps the monks 
of Gelati are not so hard to please as others have been. 
I believe that, in the Greek Church, a married priest 
whose wife dies must enter the monastic order. There 
must therefore be a large number of widowers in a 
Greek monastery, and 4 men who have been married 
are notoriously less particular about meat and drink 
than confirmed bachelors. 

The signs of security and moderate prosperity 
were to be plainly seen as we went on. The country 
was largely cultivated. The peasants whom we met 
were many of them unarmed, not even wearing the 

E 



50 



THE UPPER RION. 



great poniard universal in all the other mountain 
districts ; and we did not see during the whole day a 
man carrying either gun or pistol. Wayfarers were 
many, and of pack-horses we saw not a few. The 
brigand prince must have been an exceptional inflic- 
tion, for he who ran might read that the country was 
safe. As the morning advanced, it became more and 
more difficult to form any idea of the configuration of 
the district we were passing through, owing partly to 
the great intricacy of the tortuous valleys, and partly 
to the extreme badness of the weather. From the 
first the day was sullen, and as it wore on the heavy 
clouds grew darker, and the clammy mist stole further 
and further down the hill-sides, hiding ridges and sum- 
mits, so that we were in much obscurity as to the 
course we were following, while w r e could learn little 
from the map, which is extremely vague in its render- 
ing of this part of the Caucasus. For some time we 
kept to the Red River, which we crossed thrice — once 
by a bridge, and twice by fording. Leaving this 
stream, after passing it the third time, we traversed a 
low col, and descended into what was apparently a 
small lateral valley leading to a greater one, along 
the base of which we walked for awhile, and then 
struck up one side of it, making for the col at its 
head, as we afterwards found out ; but the thick mist 
and the rain which had now for some time been fall- 
ing, hid everything so completely that we might have 
been blind for any knowledge we could get of the 



THE M AMIS OX ROUTE. 



51 



valley system through which we were passing, and of 
the scenery we could only judge by occasional glimpses 
through the mist. These revealed densely wooded 
hill-sicles, wdiich seemed to bear some resemblance to 
those in the more picturesque valleys of the Jura. 
We were on the route of the Mamison Pass from 
Kutais to Vladikafkaz, an important line of communi- 
cation between the Northern and Southern C aucasus. 
Some trouble had obviously been taken with the road, 
which has been carried skilfully along the bases and 
slopes of the valleys, and is wide enough not only 
for horses but even for small carts. Its state, how- 
ever, was something indescribable. It had never 
been metalled, and the soil is clay. Two months' 
continuous rain had produced a puddled mass, more 
holding than anything I have ever toiled through 
even in Sussex. Just at nightfall we were wallowing 
knee-deep in the miry way which led up the side of 
the valley, when a friendly native who was travelling 
by the same road overtook us, and told us that there 
was still a considerable ascent to the col we had to 
pass, and that from it to Nikortzminda^ the village 
where we had hoped to pass the night, was six miles 
well told. He had, as it afterwards proved, an in- 
terest in saying this^ but nevertheless spoke the 
truth. Shortly after he joined us we halted at a 
group of very wretched looking chalets, one of which 
was what, for want of a better name, must be called 
an inn. We had passed two such during the clay 5 

E 2 



52 



THE UPPER RION. 



and., humble as they were, we afterwards found that 
they indicated an advance on any other of the moun- 
tain districts we passed through, for it was only on the 
Mamison route that the number of travellers seemed 
to be sufficient to call into existence any kind of 
resting-place for wayfarers. 

Our halting place was called Tkvibula, and the inn 
or cantine which offered shelter, and the coarsest pos- 
sible food and drink, was exactly like the others we 
saw— a rough shed with an earthen floor, no chimney, 
and only one window. The latter, which of course was 
unglazecl, answered the purpose of a bar, for behind it 
was a closet in which were kept a small store of vodka, 
a barrel of acid wine, and a few loaves. Such was 
the entertainment for man. As for beasts, they were 
at liberty to browse about the place as they could, 
unless some kindly native could be induced to give 
them house-room with his own family, which, on this 
occasion, one hospitable Caucasian did. 

It was rough lodging, but better, very much better 
than la clef des champs, which was the only alternative. 
Our friendly adviser as to the way turned out to be 
the landlord, who had not, as we afterwards found, at 
all sfone bevond the truth in what he said of the dis- 
tance to Nikortzminda. Other natives who had been 
hanonng; about outside the shed with a cow-like in- 
difference to rain, crowded into the place when they 
discovered we were going to stop. They were very 
dirty, and very willing to be useful. Everybody, 



TKVIBULA. 



53 



indeed, was most zealous in the service of the strangers, 
though obviously wondering greatly who the strangers 
were, and what their business might be. One boy 
waited on us the whole evening, considering himself 
quite repaid for his services by having the privilege 
of a closer stare than the rest. Others blew the wood 
fire with indiscriminate and blinding vigour. Our 
host, indeed, carried his zeal rather too far, for, having 
been asked by Moore to wash the boots, he did so, 
and then in addition filled them with water, and left 
them standing like so many black-jacks, under the 
impression that he had done his work with praise- 
worthy thoroughness. But, if there were some mis- 
takes, there was goodwill all round, and even some of 
the roughest and dirtiest peasants who settled down 
to supper grinned at us from time to time, as though 
to intimate that we were strange people to look at, 
but nevertheless welcome. The rain grew, if pos- 
sible, heavier after nightfall, but the roof was for the 
most part watertight, and nothing lulls so pleasantly 
to sleep those who have found cover from the storm 
as the sound of the pitiless downfall outside. 

Paul, crooning over the fire like a witch, and 
looking ghastly enough for one in the flickering light, 
first met my eyes on waking in the morning. I was 
soon aware that the rain was falling as steadily as it 
had been the evening before, but somehow the sound did 
not seem so pleasant as it had done, and, as we shook 
off flea-troubled slumbers, and huddled round the 



54 



THE UPPER RIOK 



scanty fire, we felt much sympathy with the excellent 
Paul; who was keeping up a current of bilingual 
swearings in which French and Mingrelian were to 
each other as complementary colours. It was all over 
the innocent work of tea-making ; but to make tea 
over a half-lighted wood fire sending its pungent 
smoke into your face, whichever side you sit, is, as 
anyone who has tried it will bear witness, a labour 
full of vexation. It w r as finished at last, however, 
and the tea having been drunk before a rapt circle 
which had hastily assembled on hearing that the 
strangers were up, we started again over the hold- 
ing clay, with the mist thicker than ever, and rain 
falling heavily enough to put out a volcano. To tell 
how we came to a stream w r hich aroused that repug- 
nance in the mild steeds bearing our burdens which, 
for some reason, horses always show to water; how 
knee-deep in mud we toiled up zig-zags ; how, reach- 
ing the top of the pass, we saw nothing, were only to 
tell the story of a wet journey much alike in most 
mountain countries. We had, however, accomplished 
a stage, for we had reached the summit of the Satchori 
Pass, 3,972 feet high, a part of the Mamison route 
leading over the Sub-Caucasian range of the Nakerala 
mountains. The fog became less thick as the day 
went on ; and after we had passed the col and begun 
to descend, we came to some of that woodland beauty 
which is the glory of the southern side of the great 
chain. A stream springing out a little below the top 



THE MYSTERIOUS RIVER. 



55 



of the pass, and widening with wonderful rapidity, 
wound through a stately forest. Some short way 
down a bridge crossed it, and from this point the rivu- 
let, already become wide and even, flowed away in 
gentle curves through a vista of high trees which 
arched over it, as pleasant a sight in the greenwood as 
could be sought or desired. Very strange is the course 
of this mountain stream which, after showing great 
precocity in youth, and strengthening almost into a 
river while yet but a little distance from its source, 
seems to die early, like a too promising child. Near 
Nikortzminda, a few miles further on, it suddenly 
disappears into a hole in the earth, and is seen no 
more ; at least so the natives say. The Russian map 
marks it as coming to light again some distance from 
the place where it plunges underground ; but the map 
is not to be altogether relied on for this part of the 
Caucasus, and I am inclined to trust the native 
account. Sometimes the hole into which the stream 
plunges gets choked up, and then it floods the country, 
doing great harm. This abruptly terminated river is 
called the Sharaula. 

Passing over some rather tame country after leav- 
ing the forest, we met three native women, who kept 
shyly off our path. They wore short skirts, with, I 
regret to say, trousers, and their faces were partly 
concealed by mufflers covering the mouth. What 
was visible, however, made one think that they were 
wise in thus partially veiling themselves. Shortly 



56 



THE UPPER RION. 



after meeting these women, we came to the village of 
jSikortzniinda, prettily placed on the hill-side, and 
dominated by a large, handsome church. 

"We entered here the considerable valley of the 
Khotevi, by which we were to descend to the Rion. 
Very wide, with gently sloping sides, studded every- 
where with chalets and small villages, it much resembles 
some of the richer and tamer parts of Switzerland, 
pleasing to the eyes of the peasant in exact propor- 
tion as they are dull to those of the traveller. 
Peaceful and prosperous the country clearly was, but 
the signs of different times in the past were not 
w T anting. Some little distance below Nikortzminda a 
ruined castle stands close by the way, having been 
placed there, no doubt, with a strictly dishonest pur- 
pose, as the pass Ave were traversing is one which, in 
ail probability, has been much used from a remote 
time, A great writer of our day has said that he could 
not live in a country where there were no castles ; but 
then he, as a modern traveller, has been fortunate 
enough to see them only in their ruined state. No one 
has recorded that the wayfarers of other times, who 
passed the feudal fortress in fear and trembling, saw 
anything the least beautiful in it, and probably they 
would have been only too happy to live in a country 
without a castle on the face of it. I have never 
heard that Hindoo peasants are the least enamoured 
of the strength or beauty of the tiger. 

It was a remarkable thins; about this castle, and 



THE VALLEY OF THE UPPER RIOJST. 



57 



also about several others which we saw in the Southern 
Caucasus., that they seemed to have been in ruins for 
a long period, as long to all appearance as those of 
Western Europe. Now, it might be thought that the 
time was not so very remote when Caucasian strong- 
holds were likely to be of great practical use to their 
owners, and well worth keeping in repair ; but they 
certainly look like very old ruins. We arrived at 
about three in the afternoon at the place where the 
valley of the Khotevi opened into that of the Rion, 
which stream we were now to follow to its source. 
Much swollen by the rains, it was roaring angrily 
down the magnificent valley, but fortunately the bridge 
was beyond the strength of its summer fury, and, cross- 
ing to the right bank of the river, we made what speed 
we could, hoping against hope that we should get that 
night to Qui, a large village, which we had expected 
to reach in two days from Kutais. It had seemed 
practicable enough to do so when we looked at the 
map before starting, but we had not enough borne in 
mind the smaliness of its scale, and the consequent 
necessary imperfection of the drawing. The road was 
laid down for the whole way, but there was many a 
curve which could not possibly be indicated, so that 
what was a straight line on paper was found to be full 
of twists and bends, to say nothing of ups and downs. 
How much that added to the way need not be told ; 
and very painfully clear it became to us that we were 
not likely to reach Oni that night, as we walked up 



58 



THE UPPER PIOJST. 



the valley, of which the great size was less pleasing 
than it should have been to men who declared them- 
selves lovers of mountain scenery. The path was good, 
and from time to time led over stretches of soft turf, 
where oak and box-trees grew thickly. The slopes on 
either side were steep and lofty — bold and precipitous 
above, densely wooded below. It was a noble valley, 
perhaps a beautiful one, but we were agreed at the 
time that these great vales did not yield so pure a 
pleasure as those moulded on a smaller scale. Paul 
began early to hint that there was, nine miles short of 
Oni, a village called Sori, where quarters for the night 
could probably be found. At first he was scoffed at, 
but when, just before dark, we came in sight of this 
village, there was a unanimous opinion that it was not 
advisable to proceed further that night. 

Just outside the place a group of villagers were in 
voluble discourse, but became mute and full of amaze- 
ment when they saw us, wondering much who we were, 
as perhaps was natural. Singling out one of them 
who wore a flowing black robe and a kind of green 
turban, who, it seemed, was a priest, Paul informed him 
that we were most honourable and estimable persons 
travelling under the protection of the Russian Go- 
vernment, and asked him whether, considering this 
circumstance, he would give us lodging for the night. 
The priest, a business-like man, who came to the point 
at once, answered that he doubted not we were of 
high degree, and that he should be very happy to take 



SORT AND ITS PRIEST. 



us into his house if we would pay him for it ; but that 
otherwise,, being but a poor pastor, the honour of the 
thing alone would hardly be a sufficient recompense 
to him. Assurance satisfactory on this point being 
given, he led the way to his mansion, which was at some 
height on the slope outside and beyond the village. Most 
of the cottages in the place were poor one-storied shan- 
ties, but the priest's dwelling was of more consideration. 
It might even be called three stories high. There were 
a lower floor, used apparently for stores, perhaps at times 
for pigs ; a main story of two large rooms with a wide 
verandah behind, and an attic above. Into one of the 
large rooms we were shown. It possessed two divans 
and a small table — a great deal of furniture for the 
Caucasus — and would have been a comfortable place 
enough had there not already been in possession many 
herds of eager fleas, who, like creatures of a higher or- 
ganisation, seemed very much pleased with a change of 
diet. Quietly and unofficiously the priest did his best to 
get us what we wanted, aided by his son, a lad some 
sixteen years old ; but whether the female sex have less 
curiosity in the Caucasus than elsewhere, or whether 
they are kept in better order, certain it is that of the 
priest's wife and daughter we saw nothing, though 
Paul, who found out everything, assured us of their 
existence. It is to be hoped that there was a wife, 
for, besides the son, there was a baby, of whose life and 
vigour we soon became aware ; not that the poor little 
thing's howling mattered much, for the priest's dog — a 



60 



THE UPPER RIOK 



savage brute, who had tried to pin one of the horse- 
men — -walked up and down the verandah, and barked 
without ceasing during the whole of that weary night. 

Two hours' walk the next morning brought us in 
sight of Oni, which is a place of some importance in 
this part of the Caucasus, and may be said to mark 
the limits of civilisation. It is a large compact vil- 
lage, situated on the left bank of the Eion, a little 
below the junction of that river and the Sakaura ; and 
though the houses are mostly one-storied chalets, there 
is an imposing stone building in the middle of the 
village, and here and there are what an Oni auctioneer 
would probably call first-class mansions. Around 
everything was trim, orderly, and well-kept ; gardens, 
fields surrounded by strong fences, many vineyards ; 
telling of good husbandry and a thriving people. 
Covering a great part of the wide base of the valley 
were some huge fields of barley, which, despite the bad 
weather, seemed fairly forward, considering that they 
was grown nearly three thousand feet above the sea. 

At Kutais we had been contemptuously told that 
there were many Jews at Oni. This was spoken of 
as a great infliction on the village ; but men of that 
energetic race are not much given to abiding where 
there is little to be made, and their presence at Oni is 
perhaps as good a sign as the community can desire. 
As to there being many of them in this part of the 
country, we had indeed abundant proof, although we 
did not enter Oni, which lay a little out of our way. 



UTSORA. 



61 



At Utsora, a little distance further on, where we halted 
for a while, the Jewish type was as common as in the 
Ghetto. One unmistakable old Israelite, wrinkled as 
only a Jew can be, showed all the readiness and in- 
genuity of his people, for he constituted himself our 
laquais de place, which certainly was a proof of wonder- 
ful quickness on his part, since foreigners at Utsora must 
be rarer than four-leaved shamrocks. This ingenious 
old man, who, if he lived in Paris instead of Utsora, 
would probably die worth half a million, took us to a 
cantine, assured the host on his own responsibility that 
we were most worthy men, and then bustled off to get us 
some water from a mineral spring which it is the pride 
of Utsora to possess, and a draught of which, it was 
apparently thought, could not fail in some way or 
other to do good to strangers. The master of the 
cantine was also a Jew, as were the greater part of a 
host of friends who gathered together to stare at 
the travellers, but it should be said, that here, as in 
other parts of the Caucasus, the resemblance between 
the Jewish and Caucasian types was great, and that 
to distinguish them was often by no means an easy 
task. 

We were now entering; on the reallv wild and un- 
travelled land, as the district we were approaching is 
seldom visited by the Russians, and hardly ever by 
travellers from any other country. So far as Oni we 
had been amid comparative civilisation, and following a 
much-traversed track. There had been nothing, there- 



62 



THE UPPER RION. 



fore, very strongly to impress the traveller from the 
West. The vile weather had prevented us from seeing 
much of the country, and the life of the peasants had 
not seemed materially different from what it is in the 
poorer parts of Switzerland and the Tyrol. Their 
dwellings are one-storied chalets with large verandahs 
in front, inferior to the Swiss chalets, but much re- 
sembling them. Barley and maize are largely culti- 
vated, and the fields and the gardens of the cottages are 
sometimes surrounded by immense fences made of huge 
laths intertwisted diagonally. These strong barriers are 
a necessary protection against the wild boars which 
abound in parts of the country. One isolated farm- 
house which I saw was skirted by a massive palisade, 
some six or seven feet high, and the entrance was 
through a roofed gate so large and strong that it might 
have belonged to an English country-house. There 
was no sign., however, of defence being necessary 
against anything more formidable than the boars, for 
all we saw gave the idea of perfect security, and there 
was no reason to think that the brigand prince was at 
all a common character on the road. Mention has 
already been made of the cantines, in which the tra- 
veller can find cover and get some sort of very rough 
food. The last of them was at Utsora which might 
be considered to mark the limit of Russian civilisation. 
Henceforth our course was to be through the wild 
untravelled country. 

From this village we continued our way up the 



A RUSSIAN SOLDIER. 



63 



valley of the Rion. IVe were still on the track of the 
Mamison Pass ; but after entering a magnificent forest 
some distance above Utsora we came to the place 
where the path to Gebi turns towards the MW., 
that of the Mamison running towards the East, 
Gebi being our destination, we took the first-named 
track, and went on in rather straggling order through 
the wood. Loitering behind the others, I saw a 
man fishing in a small stream, and, peering through 
the thicket, I made out that he wore a dirty Rus- 
sian uniform, but there was not time for much ob- 
servation, for he was suddenly aware of me, and 
vanished like a roebuck. He may have done so from 
instinctive modesty; but neither that quality nor 
timidity are common amongst Russian soldiers, and 
I inclined to the opinion that he was a deserter, which 
seemed the more likely when I remember that there was 
no Russian post at hand from which a man was likely 
to come for a day's fishing. It would have been bad 
taste to have sought acquaintance with a stranger, 
perhaps armed, who obviously did not desire it, so I 
made no attempt to follow the Russian, but did my 
best to hope, as I went on, that he was not really a 
deserter, and was not condemened to a wretched life 
full of hardship and terror in those solitary woods. 
After passing through a noble gorge, the forest all 
around and above us, we came to an open alp, where 
some women were hard at work gathering store of 
firewood. Not so shy as those we had before met, they 



G4 



THE UPPER RION. 



spoke to us at once, but Paul was some distance off, 
and the curse of Babel was between those women and 
ourselves. Following the same course as before with 
the Mingrelian prince, I answered them in English, 
which I am afraid struck them as the most absurd 
series of sounds they had ever heard, for I have never 
seen women laugh more. One, the youngest and best 
looking, was obliged to sit down to have it out ; but 
even she left off laughing at last, and, an exchange of 
ideas being unfortunately impossible, they returned 
to their firewood and we went on our way. We passed 
the village of Tchiora, which lay some distance from 
us on the northern side of the valley, had a desper- 
ate engagement with some sheep-dogs who showed a 
strong desire to pull Walker down, and finally sighted 
Gebi late in the afternoon. After crossing the Rion 
by a bridge so bad that the horses had to be left be- 
hind, we marched about half an hour before sunset into 
the village. It is so singular a place, and the good- 
tempered scamps who inhabit it play so marked a part 
in Caucasian life, that, before describing our reception, 
I must try to give some account of Gebi and of those 
who dwell there. 

The village is beautifully placed on the left bank 
of the Rion, at a point where the valley bends round to 
the north. Apart from beauty, of which the founders 
probably thought as much as they did of animal mag- 
netism, a better site could hardly be chosen. Below 
the valley opens out to a great width ; above it 



GEBI. 



65 



grows so narrow that Gebi commands it. To reach 
from the south the pass over the main chain at the 
head of the valley of the Bion, or to descend from it 
into the southern country, it would be necessary to 
go past the village, and this would also be a necessity 
for those traversing the Gebi-vtsek pass between Gebi 
and the valley of the Uruch. In former days then, 
when the Caucasus was less peaceable than it is now, 
the goodwill of the villagers must have been highly 
desirable for those who sought to journey by either of 
these ways ; and unless the ancestors of the present 
men of Gebi were singularly different from their de- 
scendants, payment must frequently have been the best, 
if not the only means of securing that goodwill. To 
what extent, in bygone times, men may have traversed 
snow passes it is impossible to say ; but to traverse a 
snow pass was, and is still, in much of the country, 
the only way of getting from one side of the chain to 
the other, and certain it is that the site of Gebi has 
been admirably chosen for commanding two important 
lines of communication between the Southern and 
Northern Caucasus. 

Occasionally it might happen, of course, that there 
came a party of travellers sufficiently strong to despise 
the goodwill of the men of Gebi. In that case pro- 
bably Gebi itself would have something to fear, and 
accordingly there rise among its hovels numerous 
strong towers which, though they would be useless as 
card houses against the lightest form of modern ar- 

F 



66 



THE UPPER PION. 



tillery, were perfectly suited for the mountain warfare 
of other days. What the village had to fear was not 
a foe who would bombard it from afar, but marauders 
who would plunder and burn the houses, and these 
towers, with openings for musketry under a series of 
small arches running round the top of each, gave posts 
of vantage from which a terrible fire might be main- 
tained on those below; and, as the towers are distri- 
buted all over the village, the sacking it must have 
been a work such as murderous Suenetian or even stout 
Mussulman from the north can have been little likely 
to attempt or accomplish. Command of the two passes 
the men of Gebi still have ; not because they hold 
the key to both,, for the days when that would have 
enabled them to stop the way to others are long past ; 
but by reason of their industry and enterprise. They 
are the pedlers of the North-western Caucasus, their 
practice being to cross the main chain and travel about 
the Mohammedan country during the summer months, 
doing such business as they can. In every village we 
visited on the northern side we found a map from 
Gebi come to sell light merchandise, or to buy the 
coarse home-spun stuffs of the place, and generally 
looked upon by the natives as an authority on matters 
of trade. Amusing fellows they were too, these pil- 
grims of business, having much of the vanity and 
mouthiness proper to the jack-pudding. They w r ere 
ready to offer the most liberal terms for what they 
knew was not for sale, and it was pleasing to hear how 



GEBL 



07 



strongly they urged that we should be hospitably 
treated at the cost of others. If we had not seen them 
in their own home,, we might have thought them a 
disinterested set of men, whose principal work it was 
to soften the manners and open the purses of those 
whom they found in their wanderings to be churlish 
or miserly. Unfortunately, before reaching the 
Northern Caucasus, we had, as schoolboys say, known 
them at home, that is, we had visited them in their 
own village, and found them as greedy a set of scamps 
as ever cheated travellers. 

Not a very alluring place when entered was the 
home of these Caucasian hucksters, striking though its 
appearance was from the valley. The inhabitants do 
not, in all probability, return empty-handed from their 
long summer rambles ; but all signs of their gains are 
carefully hidden. They live in poor, dirty hovels, 
and are themselves certainly dirty, and, to all appear- 
ance, poor; but there must be a considerable number 
of men amongst them who have put by what are for 
the country good, round sums of money. 

We were not long in discovering that we were in a 
place where the strictest commercial principles pre- 
vailed. On our arrival we found the chief of the 
village taking a very leisurely lounge, one of the 
principal functions, as we afterwards discovered, of the 
head of a Caucasian village. To this great man we 
showed an order written in his own language, which 
Count Levachoff had kindly given us, enjoining the 

F 2 



68 



THE UPPER EION. 



chiefs of Oni and Gebi to yield us all assistance in their 
power. Something impressed by this, the chief imme- 
diately showed us into a large two-storied house, the 
only one of the kind in the place, and used as a school- 
house. It had a room apparently set apart for strangers 
of distinction, and in this the chief installed us ; having 
done which he told us that he knew us to be persons of 
consideration, and begged us to accept the assurance of 
his entire goodwill and friendship, the offer of which in 
the Southern Caucasus, as elsewhere, means that no- 
thing more is forthcoming. We did indeed, being 
very hungry, try to draw something tangible from 
these gentle words, asking him if he would help us to 
buy bread and meat ; but" he suddenly remembered a 
pressing engagement to meet a friend at the other end 
of the village, and w r as gone in the twinkling of an 
eye, leaving us with a number of grimy villagers who 
had followed him into the room. There was a mo- 
ment's excitement after he had gone, for a hoary- 
headed old fellow, who had, it seemed, been one of Mr. 
Freshfield's porters, recognised Moore as having been 
at Gebi before, and welcomed him as warmly and as 
fondly as though he had been the lost darling of the 
hamlet; but, rejoicing in his discovery, the old man 
shortly went out to tell of this remarkable event to a 
quickly-gathered circle of intimate friends, and we were 
at liberty to concentrate our minds on bargaining with 
his fellow-villagers. Quite ready to bargain they were, 
long practice at that art having made them perfect. 



HIGH PRICES. 



CO 



Time mattered nothing to them, and they liked 
the work ; moreover, they saw with instinctive quick- 
ness that we were famished, and that the longer they 
kept us waiting the more hungry w^e should be and 
the more inclined to come round to their prices; m 
they haggled and fought, and declared again and 
again that what they asked was just, was too little 
indeed, and that they were treating us as friends ; in 
support of w T hich assertions they appealed to those 
saintly personages who for some reason seem always to 
be regarded by rogues as their tutelary deities. The 
prices asked, and only abated after more than an hour 
of wearisome chaffer, were as follows: — a quart of 
milk, 2s. 2d. ; a loaf of black bread, equal in quantity 
to perhaps a third of a quartern, 9d. ; a pound of 
butter, 2s. 6d. As for meat, a lamb was offered for 
1/. 2s. with a wisely vague proviso that we were not to 
object if it was small. When an agreement was come 
to, the adherence to the system of immediate payment 
was most rigid. Nothing was given up unless the money 
was handed over. Thus a man having come to terms 
as to the price of a dozen eggs, insisted on beh g paid 
for one which he had brought with him, and then ap- 
peared at intervals with the remaining eleven in three 
instalments, for each of which separate payment was 
required. It was weary work beating down their big 
demands, but it was necessary, as, if acceded to, 
they would be doubled or quadrupled the next day. 
Finding myself, how r ever, of no use to either Moore or 



70 



THE TITTER RION. 



Paul, who were fighting the battle, I went out to look 
about me before daylight was over, and came imme- 
diately upon the village parliament, an institution not 
indeed peculiar to Gebi, but full of life and strength 
there, and, like a greater parliament, affording much 
innocent pleasure to those who compose it. 

During our whole journey through the Caucasus 
we were much struck by the extraordinary powers of 
talk shown by the natives. Seldom did their conver- 
sation flag. Carrying burdens up a steep incline 
under a burning sun, tramping along through mist and 
heavy rain, or pushing their way through the thick 
underwood of a forest, they rarely suspended their 
speech. Vicious comments are sometimes heard at 
home on the power women are said to possess of main- 
taining a prolonged conversation without too severe a 
strain on the mind, but the males of the Caucasus are, 
I venture to say, the equals of any women in the 
world for unceasing flow of words. If Mr. Carlyle 
had addressed himself to Caucasians, he would have 
required far more than thirty volumes to impress on 
them the divine nature of silence. 

Now in the enjoyment of this beautiful gift of 
speech the men of Gebi seemed to us the most blessed 
of all those we met. The inhabitants of Utchkulan, 
whom we saw at the end of our journey, came near to, 
but scarcely equalled, these South Caucasians in their 
power of discourse. On looking back, I think we 
gave the palm to the latter ; and it was in their 



THE VILLAGE PARLIAMENT. 



71 



village parliament that the conversational vigour of 
the sons of Gebi best displayed itself. The place of 
meeting was a small grassy mound, close to the house 
where we lodged, and here of an afternoon it was the 
custom of the villagers to meet for some two or three 
hours of animated talk. On going out from the bar- 
gaining I found them at what was, I imagine, that day 
the most interesting period of the debate, for the 
assembly was engrossed in a conversational duel 
between an authoritative man — the Dr. Johnson, I 
should say, of Gebi — and a thin old fellow who had 
perhaps been advocating Whig opinions, and who, in 
public opinion apparently, was being crushed. The 
chief had got back from his engagement at the other 
end of the village, and acted seemingly as a kind of 
moderator, for, when the two citizens so far forgot the 
amenities of conversation as to spit at each other, he 
intervened with some remarks which, unless I am 
much mistaken, were like those of the conciliatory 
friend who tells the disputants that there is a great 
deal to be said on both sides, and that each has ex- 
pressed himself admirably. 

I attended the parliament again next day, when 
the harangues were so long, were marked by such 
action and emphasis, and were listened to with interest 
so intense, that I thought some important municipal 
question was being considered, but found, on inquiry 
through Paul, that the villagers were only having 
their ordinary chat, and that every afternoon saw them 



72 



THE UPPER RION. 



thus employed. The rain, which was falling heavily on 
both days, disturbed them no more than it would a group 
of beavers. We were likely to have some experience of 
the conversational powers of the men of Gebi, for we 
had to find porters among them to cross the main 
chain with us by the pass leading from the head of the 
Rion to that of the Tcherek valley, and to go as far as 
Kunim or one of the adjacent villages, in all a three or 
four days' journey. It had at first been our intention to 
attempt, before starting for the pass, the ascent of Tau 
Burdisula, a fine peak about 14,000 feet high, rising 
to the north-east of the Gebi, and to do this we had 
meant to walk up the lateral valley leading to the foot 
of the peak the day after our arrival at the village, to 
sleep out that night, and to try the ascent next 
morning. But in mountain expeditions, more than in 
almost any others, men are subject to the condition 
c wind and weather permitting/ and during our jour- 
ney we had frequent opportunity of appreciating how 
much those words mean in a high country. The rain 
began to fall while Paul was yet chaffering with 
the natives on the evening of our arrival, grew thicker 
as night came down, and the last sounds we heard 
were of falling water. Next morning the weather was 
confirmed in evil. The ridges and hills around were 
covered with mist which came far down the slopes ; it 
was raining heavily, and the barometer was falling. One 
might as well have put to sea in a jolly-boat as tried an 
unknown mountain under such conditions ; and, our 



THE CHIEF. 



73 



time being limited, there was nothing for it but to 
abandon Tail Burdisula, and make ready for our 
journey to the northern side of the chain ; so the chief 
was sent for, and was told to find men to go with us. 
He was bound to render us this service under the 
order we held from the Russian authorities, and he set 
to work at once, assuring us that he would get stout 
fellows who could carry burdens, and whose moral 
character stood high. 

He was by no means a bad sort of man this chief, 
although he had not tried to make himself useful when 
we wanted food ; but I think that, with regard to this 
matter, a horrible dread had haunted him that we 
might call upon him to supply us with what we re- 
quired at fair market rates. The order we had re- 
ceived at Kutais might possibly be construed to give 
us some such power, and the idea quite unnerved the 
head of Gebi. When he found, however, that we 
made no such claim, he became full of goodwill 
towards us, really exerted himself to get us porters, 
and was anxious to be useful in any way he could with- 
out putting himself in danger of having to sell at a 
small profit. We had some talk with him during the 
afternoon, and he told us how he had been a soldier, 
and had fought in two campaigns against Schamyl ; 
also how Gebi was governed by six elders, of whom he 
was the head. What authority this body as a whole 
may have exercised I cannot tell, but that of the chief 
appeared to me to be very slight ; indeed, throughout 



74 



THE UPPER ETON. 



the Caucasus, the chiefs of the villages, though 
showing with some dignity before strangers, seemed to 
us to wield very small power. 1 I am sorry to say one 
of the party was so irreverent as to compare their 
office to that of the Lord Mayor. For one municipal 
institution about which we questioned the chief, the 
men of Gebi certainly deserve, if he spoke the truth, 
much praise. I have said that we were lodged in the 
schoolhouse ; the schoolroom was next to ours, and 
here a meek Georgian teacher ruled over a class of 
little boys whom, without any very severe discipline, 
he seemed to keep in fairly good order. Our presence, 
however, was an unfair test, under which schoolboy 
and schoolmaster failed alike. As we went through 
the schoolroom on the morning after our arrival, we 
were conscious of the sudden hushing of some twenty 
shrill voices, and of twenty pairs of piercing black eyes 
steadily fixed on us. The teacher began from his desk 
what, unless I much mistook his tones, was an ex- 
hortation to the youngsters to mind their books, but it 
stopped abruptly when Moore drew out a gold re- 
peater to show to an inquisitive native, and the school- 
master, being frail, fell — that is, he came to look. I 
wonder if Dr. Hornby would go on with a dissertation 
on accent and quantity, if four Caucasian chiefs were 
to sweep through his class-room. 

The youngsters were taught to read and write their 

1 The chiefs of villages are appointed for limited periods by the 
Russian Government. 



PHOTOGRAPH OF THE VILLAGERS. 75 



own language, i.e., Georgian. The house, according 
to the chief, had been built, and the school was main- 
tained, entirely at the expense of the village, the Go- 
vernment contributing nothing. We applauded the 
inhabitants for this, but hoped they did not under- 
feed the meek schoolmaster — he looked wofully thin. 
It is the fashion at Gebi to eat only once a day, so 
that short-commons there must mean but one meal in 
forty-eight hours, the thought of which is horrible. I 
am afraid that we seemed to the villagers to go the other 
extreme, for they confided to Paul that they could not 
understand how men could eat three times a day. 
Nothing about us, they said, surprised them so much 
as these unheard-of appetites. 

A few short gleams of sunlight, breaking at inter- 
vals through the heavy clouds of a hopeless day, en- 
abled Walker to photograph a group of the inhabi- 
tants. For this we picked out the most characteristic- 
looking ragamuffins, who were not a little pleased at 
the honour done them, though something uncertain 
whether their after-lives might not be affected by 
what they submitted to ; we did our best to set their 
minds at rest. They received, when we set them free, 
the wondering congratulations of their friends, as be- 
came men who had been singled out for honour, and 
who might have been running unknown risk. A crowd 
of villagers had watched the process, and indeed a 
crowd watched all that we did. Local curiosity was 
intense, and abated not during our stay. Throughout 



76 



THE UPPER RIOK 



the day the verandah outside our lodging was thronged, 
as our room would have been, had we not shut and 
barricaded the door, and used the window for going in 
and out. The sons of Grebi would not have hesitated 
to swarm in through the door, but drew the line at 
the window. Manners existed, if in an early stage of 
development. 

The day went down in mist and rain, but things 
were a little better next morning (July 10), and at an 
early hour we began our struggles with one of the 
great difficulties of Caucasian travel — the dawdling 
habits of the natives. The chief had found us eight 
men, who assembled by degrees in front of the house, 
and conversed pleasantly for more than an hour, treat- 
ing our repeated statements that the baggage was 
ready for them as irrelevant and in bad taste. Induced 
at last to come indoors, they took another hour in dis- 
cussing how the packs should be carried, and it was only 
by energetic remonstrance with the chief that we got 
them at last under way. The males of the village, with 
unabated curiosity, assembled to see us off, two of the 
elders accompanying us for some distance. The por- 
ters at first seemed to go well, and, exultant at having 
started, we thought that the morning would see good 
progress made. Vain hope : after about an hour's 
walk from the village, our men told us that we must 
cross to the right bank of the Kionr, which here flowed 
through many shallow channels. Higher up, the river 
is narrower, deeper, and impassable. Accordingly, 



WRONG PATH TAKEN. 



77 



Moore and one of the elders got, both of them, on a 
horse which had been brought for the purpose, and 
went over as pioneers. They did not seem to meet 
with any great difficulty, but there was some little 
trouble in making the passage; and, when they had 
reached the other side, they were called back by the 
porters, who now determined to keep to the left bank. 
Crossing the river involved some effort at the moment. 
By continuing our way along the side on which we 
were we avoided this, but, as we afterwards found, 
much increased the length and labour of the journey 
to the foot of the pass ; getting rid of the difficulty of 
the instant was, however, all the porters cared for, and 
they went the wrong way in perfect peace of mind. 

Up the valley for a while, by the side of the roar- 
ing stream, then over a steep spur covered by a noble 
forest, and down into meadow-land, where the magnifi- 
cent vegetation rose above our heads, we followed our 
foolish leaders, greatly admiring what we saw, and 
trusting that we were on the right path, till^ when 
midday was long past, we had to awaken to the hard 
reality that the beautiful valley we were in was the 
wrong one, and that we should probably have to camp 
some distance from the foot of the pass. Moore, partly 
from what he found in the rather vague map, partly 
from an almost instinctive power of understanding 
mountain country, which many years' travel in the 
Alps has given him, discovered that, after crossing the 
spur, the porters, instead of taking us back to the 



78 



THE UPPER RION. 



valley of the Bion, had led us into that of its tri- 
butary, the Zopkhetiri, and that a high ridge lay be- 
tween us and the source of the first-named stream, 
which we hoped to reach that night. The reason for 
this course had clearly been our having kept to the 
Bion's left bank, along which the river could not be 
followed beyond a certain point, the shore rising in 
places abruptly from the stream. The chief of the 
Gebi porters, on being questioned about it, spoke as 
follows : — 

The man of Gebi. — The gentlemen are quite 
right. This is the Zopkhetiri valley, but it is the best 
way. 

Moore. — How then can you take us to-night to the 
foot of the pass as you promised ? How can there be 
time when the day is so far spent ? You would not 
cross the river at the proper place this morning ; now 
you have brought us over a great spur, and will have 
to take us over a ridge, both of which the true path 
avoids. 

The man of Gebi (becoming frantic with excite- 
ment when he discovered how well Moore had guessed 
the country.) — No, no, no ! this is the right way. Do 
the gentlemen think I would deceive them ? We will 
reach the foot of the pass to-night. I promise it ! I 
swear it ! If we do not, let the gentlemen bind me 
hand and foot, and take my head off, thus (drawing his 
finger round his throat). If we do not, may the 
twelve blessed Apostles band together to refuse me 



FORDING THE ZOPKHETIRI. 



79 



entrance into heaven when I die, and cast me forth for 
all eternity. (Here a murmur came from the others 
to the effect that their chief had spoken well.) 

Now the effect of this discussion and of the excite- 
ment it caused, was to get our men on a great deal 
further than they had intended to go. They had fully 
meant to have passed the night in the valley of the 
Zopkhetiri, but the temporal and spiritual penalties 
invoked by their head man being of a serious nature, 
they set to work in earnest to cross into the other 
valley before darkness came on. There was some 
work to be done and scant time to do it. First, the 
Zopkhetiri had to be forded. In ordinary seasons 
this would probably be easy enough; but the river 
was much swollen by the long and heavy rains, and 
the current was hard to stem. Each man had a 
struggle when he got to the middle of the stream, and 
felt the annoyance of being in considerable danger and 
of looking extremely ridiculous at the same time, which 
is irritating even in a secluded valley. Every one got 
across safely, however ; but then came a second obstacle 
in the shape of a long, steep slope, about 2^000 feet 
in height, which had to be ascended. The shepherds 
had trodden a track through the dense herbage, but 
the broken stems which covered the way were slippery 
as if greased, and as we struggled on the ridge seemed, 
after the fashion of ridges, to recede steadily. While 
we were on the way up, we saw for a time the fine 
glacier in which the Zopkhetiri has its source. A well- 



80 



THE UPPER RION. 



marked medial moraine divides this glacier into two 
branches, its lowest part being, according to such 
rough estimate as we were able to make^ about 6,500 
feet above the sea ; but the waning afternoon gave us 
scant time for observation, warning us to grapple with 
the slope. When at last we reached the crest, there was 
but small daylight left to descend to the base of the 
valley below, so we halted only a few minutes, and then 
plunged down through the rain which had been falling 
for some time, and grew much heavier as night ap- 
proached. 

Now that descent was something never to be for- 
gotten. It is not often that the beauties of nature 
will cause forgetfulness of bodily discomfort. A man 
is full of appreciation in his easy-chair, with his pen in 
his hand, when he can in pleasant and leisurely fashion 
dilate on the rapture he felt; but how often would 
severe truthfulness compel him who has wandered in the 
mountains to say that, cold, hungry and tired, he longed 
only to get to his journey's end, and cared nothing for 
the majesty of the great peaks, the grace of the wind- 
ing river, or the infinite variety of the smiling valley. 
Most mountain travellers would, I think, confess that 
it has been so with them many a time ; yet there 
are, nevertheless, moments when the sense of beauty 
struggles successfully with physical fatigue, and, going 
down that hill-side, it was possible to forget weariness, 
cold, and hunger in the exceeding loveliness of all 
around. Our way lay through a wood of white rhodo- 



MISHAPS. 



8] 



dendrons in full flower, so thick and strong in bloom 
that they clothed the whole hill-side ; while their ra- 
diant brightness was spangled everywhere with other 
flowers, many-coloured and brilliant, like gems on a 
king's mantle. There was no sign of man, or of any 
kind of life, in this wonderful garden of nature's tend- 
ing, which was of such extent that we were near an 
hour in passing through it. The rhododendrons were 
those bearing the large blossom, not the dwarf variety 
so common in the Alps. 

Going through a wood below the flowers, we 
reached the base of the valley in rather doleful plight. 
Moore, on the rhododendron slope, had given a severe 
twist to his shoulder, which reproduced for a moment 
an old dislocation and gave him great pain. TTalker. 
deceived by a treacherous boulder, had taken a plunge 
in the clear mountain stream, a thing delightful at 
times, but annoying at that instant. The rest of us 
indeed were more or less wet through, and the rain 
was falling with almost tropical intensity; there was 
very little to eat ; but those who travel in wild countries 
have to smile under much worse hardships than these, 
and we were kept from any tendency to grumble by 
the example of the natives, who seemed to be nearly 
as happy as when gathered together at their village 
parliament. Though very trying in some respects, 
they certainly were most good-tempered fellows, and 
possessed delightfully even spirits. Having picked up 
some dead wood in the forest, they made a fire with 

G 



82 



THE UPPER RION. 



wonderful quickness, drew round it, steaming like 
potatoes fresh from the pot, and plunged with un- 
abated vigour into the delights of social talk. Imitating 
their cheerfulness as well as we could, we prophesied 
better things for the morrow, and got into the sleeping 
bags, both the bags and ourselves being so damp that I 
thought we should come out in the morning covered 
with a blue, furry mould. I am not sure but what 
one of us did. 

For long, long after we had made ourselves as snug 
as we could, the Gebi men continued their talk. The 
fire threw its strong light on the wild figures, which 
stood out against the utter blackness of the forest 
behind, the whole making what is commonly called such 
a scene as Rembrandt would have loved to paint. I 
believe myself that Rembrandt would not have loved 
to do anything of the kind, but would have very much 
preferred stopping at home, for the heavy rain never 
ceased for an instant, its monotonous patter outlasting 
even the voices of the Gebi men, and continuing all 
through the hours of darkness. 



83 



CHAPTEE III. 

THE VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEHEK. 

The Source of the Rion — Crossing the Main Chain — Snow and Mist — 
Our Followers — Terror of Crevasses — The Two Men of G-ebi and their 
Dead Ox — Passage of Glacier Passes by Cattle — Great Glaciers at the 
Head of the Tcherek Valley — The Guard of the Flocks and Herds — 
A Mohammedan Prejudice — The Hunter of Bouquetin and Chamois — 
Descent of the Valley — Grandeur of the Mountains surrounding it — 
The Glen of the Dych-Su— The Great Icefield — Ascent of the Slope 
on its Left Bank — Vast Glacier System — Bad Weather again— An 
Evening at a Chalet — Descent of the Valley to Kunim — Cau- 
casian Dwellings — A Cold Eeception — Its Cause — Further Descent 
of the Valley — Great Flight of Eagles — A Narrow Escape — The 
Gorge of the Tcherek — Eeturn to Kunim — Caucasian Curiosity. 

The next day brought no change. The rain never 
ceased, the clouds never lifted, and all we could do was 
to move a short way up the valley to a place where, 
under the slight shelter afforded by some rocks, the 
Gebi men usually spend the night before crossing 
the pass. Our porters, who thoroughly understood 
camping out, cut down some small trees, and propped 
them against the rocks in such a way as to give very 
good cover ; and there being nothing for it but to hope 
better things for the morrow, each man hoped to the 
best of his ability. 

- G 2 



84 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



Well, sometimes — 

' Hope creates 
From its own wreck the thing it contemplates.' 

The rain ceased during the night, and next morning, 
though there were mists covering the ridges, the sky- 
overhead was clear. There had been delay enough, 
even for the porters, so we started for the pass without 
any dawdling, the men of Gebi seeing that it was 
worth while to take advantage of what might be but 
a short span of fine weather. 

On the eastern side of the valley, close to where 
we had camped, was the foot of a great glacier, source 
of the Western Bion. The eastern branch, which joins 
this some distance above Utsora, is a powerful stream ; 
but the western arm must clearly be regarded as the 
true river. We were, I believe, the first travellers 
from the West who have seen the Rion issue from its 
parent ice, and we pleased ourselves by deciding that 
we had completed the work of exploration which Jason 
and the Argonauts began rather a long time ago. 

The glacier does not fill up the head of the valley, 
which is a vast, sombre cirque, and this we entered, 
leaving on our right the foot of the glacier. The pass 
lies over its upper snows, but the ice-fall in which it 
ends, of which the mist allowed us to see only a part, 
is impracticable, and the course pursued is to ascend 
the slopes of the valley leading to the edge of the cliffs 
which overhang the right bank of the glacier, to walk 



CROSSING THE MAIN CHAIN 85 



along these to the place where the glacier rises level 
with them, and then to strike the neve. 

Immediately after entering the cirque therefore, 
we began ascending the slopes of its north-eastern side, 
and as we toiled up them were met more than half way 
by the mist, which was so dense that it prevented us 
from getting any idea of the country round as we rose. 
In addition the snow began to fall before long, and we 
had to make the rest of our way to the col in dark- 
ness and tribulation. 

After a rather tiring walk up the steep slopes we 
reached the edge of the cliffs, which we followed to 
the place where the glacier rose level with them. We 
had struck snow while still in the cirque, but it was 
only what came from the heavy fall of the last two or 
three days. Along the edge of the cliffs it was very 
thick, and, strange as it may seem to Alpine readers, 
we were unable to tell precisely when we reached the 
neve of the glacier. A small, but unmistakeable 
crevasse, however, showed us that we were on ice 
shortly after the time when, as we guessed, we had 
left the cliffs, and after we had walked for some time 
over gently undulating snow slopes, a break in the 
mist revealed the col at no great distance, to the huge 
delight of our porters, who were getting a little puzzled, 
although they had shown remarkable local knowledge. 
A short walk up a gentle slope took us to the top of 
the pass. There we longed much, like the dying poet, 
for more light. The break had been but momentary, 



86 



VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



and now the fog was, if anything, more dense than 
before, so that, standing in the watershed of Europe 
and Asia, we could see nothing but thickly falling 
snow. There was no use, however, in waiting for 
clear weather, which might not come for a week, so 
we got ready to descend at once. Our porters, who 
had not walked badly, uncovered, crossed themselves, 
and uttered a short thanksgiving for having got thus 
far safely ; then as we began the descent a difficulty 
arose. The men had told us that on the northern side 
of the pass there were holes in the ice into which 
people sometimes fell and were killed — in other words, 
crevasses, and it was therefore advisable to put on the 
rope ; but the porters, who had some idea of the use of 
it, now proposed to take it all for themselves, leaving 
us to follow in their footsteps. Our refusal to ac- 
quiesce in this modest and thoughtful suggestion pro- 
duced a hubbub as of twenty fishwives, and we started 
down a slope of moderately steep neve with each man 
giving forth his ideas with all the power he possessed. 
We paid no attention to them, however, so they shortly 
left off disputing, and began all of them to use their 
voices in the much better work of saying their prayers, 
which they continued to do steadily while they re- 
mained with us ; not that they remained very long. 
The fog lifted after we got a little distance from the 
col, and we were able to see our way down the glacier. 
It was obvious that the shortest journey would be 
made by keeping to the left and threading our way 



TERROR OF CREVASSES. 



87 



through some crevasses of small intricacy offering 
hardly any difficulty. But near these crevasses none 
of the porters would go, save one old fellow who had 
some belief in us, but was frightened out of his wits 
nevertheless, and whose prayers, though he kept with 
us, became even more fast and fervent than before. 
The others, with profusion of angry speech, made off, 
yelling to their comrade : 6 Idiot, since you wish to be 
killed with those madmen, go your ways.' However, 
the madmen and the idiot got to the lower part of the 
glacier a great while before the rest, who went a 
long way round by the right bank, and when our fol- 
lower saw how much we had outstripped them, and 
that what he had thought dangerous had been safely 
passed, he left off saying his prayers and tried to look 
as if he had not been afraid, with no more success than 
usually attends that well-meant effort. 

After an easy walk along the lower part of the 
glacier, we got into the grass slopes at the head of 
the valley of the Tcherek, and here we found two 
men of Gebi who were about to cross the pass from 
the north, philosophically reposing each of them with a 
bundle by his side as big as Christian's burden in 
the old pictures of the ' Pilgrim's Progress.' They 
had intended to drive across the pass a bullock, which 
I trust they had come by honestly ; but the animal 
being much fatigued, and not likely to live over the 
snow, they had promptly killed him and cut him up, 
and were going to carry as much of him as they could 



88 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



to Gebi ; at least such was their story. They offered 
us a leg for a trifling sum, but not feeling quite sure 
that the beast had died by steel, we declined. It 
seemed strange to us that cattle should be driven over 
such a pass as that which we had just crossed, for, 
though not difficult from a mountaineer's point of 
view, it is far worse than any glacier passage which 
the Swiss would think of using for oxen or mules. 
Cattle, however, undoubtedly are driven over it, for 
we saw traces of them on the col itself, and here were 
our friends who had contemplated getting an ox over 
as quite an ordinary piece of work. Indeed, we had 
further proof of the pass being used for this purpose. 
In the Tcherek valley two guards are stationed dur- 
ing the summer for the purpose of preventing cattle- 
lifting by men from the southern side of the chain, and 
it was clear that the pass principally used by robbers 
for driving cattle over to the south was that which we 
traversed. On the southern side a route longer and 
easier than that we had taken is followed, but on the 
northern side the animals pass over the glacier by 
which we had descended; a strange place, certainly, 
for large four-footed beasts. 

What the Caucasians do in this respect may, per- 
haps, explain the legends still heard in some parts of 
Switzerland of cattle having been driven over passes 
now thought difficult for men. In the old days, when 
roads and paths were few, cattle might be worth next 
to nothing on one side of a range, and selling for a fair 



GREAT GLACIERS. 



89 



price on the other. Horses, mules, and oxen were 
then probably driven over places where no one would 
dream of taking them now. There was no other way 
of getting them to the district where they were wanted ; 
if they died on the way the loss was small ; if they 
got over safely the gain was considerable. When 
the cattle had been lifted there was, of course, all 
the more reason for running risk. With advancing 
civilisation cattle-lifting disappears, and better means 
of communication gradually equalise prices, and do 
away with the necessity of using these rough routes ; 
but the legend of their having been used remains, and, 
like most legends, grows by. degrees very much be- 
yond the truth, until passes taxing the best energies 
of chamois-hunters are spoken of as having, in more 
adventurous times, been often crossed by skilful herds- 
men with their cattle. 

The head of the Tcherek valley, which is of 
wonderful wildness and grandeur, is filled by two 
huge glaciers. One of these w T e had just descended. 
Though not very long, it is of immense width, and 
appeared to us to be divided at the head into two bays 
by a ridge of rocks running down the centre. To 
the west of this is another mighty ice-stream, which 
seemed to be divided, like the first, by a ridge, and 
was apparently of equal extent, but we could see but 
little of the upper snows of either, the cruel mist 
lifting for so few moments, and then shrouding all so 
closely that we could get only a vague idea of the 



90 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



great glacier system at the head of this magnificent 
valley. It is quite possible that what seemed to us 
to be two glaciers may flow from the same snowfield, 
and that the ridge which divides them does not reach 
the watershed of the chain ; but with regard to this 
we were reduced to mere guesswork, the very short 
breaks in the mist not allowing us to catch more than 
a glimpse of the upper regions, or to set down any- 
thing with certainty. From what was seen, however, 
I can testify that the head of the Tcherek valley is of 
extraordinary nobility and grandeur ; and I can con- 
ceive no place more interesting to the explorer of 
mountains, or indeed to any who care for the sternest 
beauty of snowfield and crag. The five-verst map so 
completely fails here to render the features of the 
chain, that I cannot but think that the portion of it 
representing the head of the valley must have been 
laid down from hearsav. 

After halting for some time at the foot of the 
glacier, we went our way down the vale under heavy 
rain. At one place we had to clamber close to the 
stream round some rocks, which, though not difficult 
for men, were, it seemed to us, impossible for horses 
and oxen, and we vainly endeavoured to find out from 
the porters whether there was another track by which 
cattle were driven. Before coming to this passage we 
had seen on the western side of the valley, a short 
distance below the great icefields, the end of a large 
glacier, much resembling the Glacier des Bossons, as 



THE GUARD OF THE HERBS. 



91 



it appears when the clouds are low on the flanks of 
Mont Blanc. After about three hours' walking we 
reached j towards evenings a wide, open space in the 
vale where the broken meadow-land of the grassy floor 
was pleasantly dotted with trees, while some rocks 
gave promise of shelter for the night. On the western 
slope a mighty glacier descended ; to the east opened 
a noble, lateral valley, thick forest on its southern 
side ; on its northern a great stretch of upland pas- 
ture, where herds of horses and oxen were grazing. 
It was a beautiful and striking pastoral scene, sugges- 
tive of a primitive life which was probably scarcely 
changed from what a traveller would have found it in 
the days of Marco Polo. That there was life besides 
that of the beasts of the field we shortly discovered, 
for we came to a chalet built of stone, but otherwise 
much resembling a Swiss chalet, and from this abode 
the shouts of the porters brought out its occupant, a 
magnificent Titan, who seemed beside the Gebi men 
as a bouquetin beside chamois. This splendid fellow 
was the guard of the head of the valley, being placed 
there to prevent cattle-lifting from the South. 

His reception of us, without being surly, was not 
gracious, and on the porters he seemed to look with no 
friendly eye. He bade us enter and be seated, how- 
ever, and no doubt would have become more pliable 
after a little talk, if talk had been possible, but, alas 3 
there was room only for the most constrained speech, 
as he spoke a barbarous dialect of Turkish which 



92 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



Paul could only in very small degree understand. 
One of the porters was able to translate it to some 
extent^ but conversation filtered through a double 
interpretation was so tedious and uncertain that it 
could hardly lead to much increase of geniality. We 
were able, however, to make the unfailing appeal to 
man's best feeling by telling him that, if he would let 
us occupy his chalet for the night, we would pay him 
for it. He was softened by this, and seemed to 
become less suspicious. Three of our porters, who 
could not speak a syllable of his dialect, talked to him 
in their own for some time from pure love of art, as 
they knew perfectly well that he could not understand 
a word they said. 

Being hungry we set to work to get some food ready, 
and in doing so managed to run our heads hard against 
a Mohammedan prejudice, the only prejudice, as we 
afterwards found, at all likely to give trouble to travel- 
lers in the Northern valleys. The true believer may 
not touch the flesh of an animal killed by unbelievers' 
hands, and ought not even to allow it to be brought 
into his house. All the food we had was part of a 
sheep which our porters had slaughtered for us, and 
when Paul proceeded to cook some of this the guard 
looked on with an expression such as a Presbyterian 
might wear when gazing at a Ritualist service. At 
last he interfered, as a pious man might to check an 
unseemly conversation, saying that really he could 
not stand it ; that the frying-pan might be held over 



A MOHAMMEDAN PREJUDICE. 



03 



the fire with the meat in it 3 but that not the smallest 
morsel must be allowed to fall into the flame, and that 
none of the flesh must touch the walls of the house. 
Even in this qualified toleration of the cooking I am 
afraid that he compromised a little with conscience, 
for he seemed to me uneasy in his mind. 

Other guests besides ourselves arrived during the 
evening : two fine-looking fellows, who, we were told, 
were chamois-hunters, and a young shepherd. As 
happens often in a Swiss chalet, the conversation 
lasted till late, and when at length the men went to 
sleep there came a chorus from many noses which 
sounded all through the night, while at intervals was 
heard the melody of the inevitable Caucasian dog who 
barked and howled outside. 

It was a real pleasure therefore when the pale 
daylight, stealing through the chinks of the rude hut, 
summoned the sleepers to awake and get them on their 
way. Moore and Gardiner, driven forth by the wood 
smoke, had slept under a rock, and on going out I 
found them already up, rejoicing in a fine morning, 
and gazing admiringly at the peak of Dych-Tau, 
which towered over the ridges to the north, a beauti- 
ful cone of marvellous steepness, and all dazzling with 
fresh snow. We departed with small delay. There 
was no time to light a fire for cooking mutton, and we 
had nothing else, so breakfast was dispensed with, a 
measure I cannot too highly recommend to those who 
wish to make an early start ; and as the porters were 



94 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



also without food and in nowise sorry to be off, we 
waited only a few minutes to say farewell to the two 
hunters who came forth to wish us good-speed on our 
journey. Pleasant, genial fellows they were ; and 
when in answer to a respectful request that they might 
see our firearms, a breach-loading revolver was shown 
to them, and then was loaded and fired, they were full 
of amazement and admiration, appealing vigorously to 
Sheitan, i.e., Satan, who for some reason seems, in 
most parts of the world, to be invoked by men when 
they are very much surprised. Lingering for a minute 
or two behind the others, I asked the younger hunter 
through Paul what game he killed : — 

The Hunter. — The two kinds of mountain goat. 

Myself. — How two kinds ? 

The Hunter. — Why the big and the little (clearly 
the chamois and the bouquetin). 

Myself. — How many do you kill in a year ? 

The Hunter. — About a hundred, (then, being 
obviously a truthful man), I did not kill as many as 
that last year, which was a bad one, but, taking one 
year with another, I kill a hundred. Down there by 
Dych-Tau is a wonderful place for game. Great big 
rocks difficult to go on — but a wonderful place, both 
for the big and the little. 

Myself. — What is the best time of the year for 
hunting ? 

The Hunter. — Now : it is as good a time as 
any. 



DESCENT OF THE VALLEY. 



95 



This last answer seemed strange. It was the 13th 
of July^ so that we were well in the period when, ac- 
cording to the Swiss, chamois should be let alone. 
However, I give the hunter's answers as they were 
given to me. His description was certainly tempting, 
and as I talked with him I remembered how, some 
years before, having asked Melchior Auderegg, prince 
of Oberland chamois-hunters, what number he had 
killed the previous winter, I was told four ; that was all 
he had bagged; and here this good fellow in the Tcherek 
valley, probably inferior as a shot, certainly inferior as 
a mountaineer to Melchior, looked upon a hundred as 
an average year's shooting. Surely there must be 
some English sportsmen who would like to see what 
chamois and bouquetin hunting really are : and why 
should not such men try the country about the Upper 
Tcherek ? But there will be more to be said on this 
subject hereafter. 

Under a bright sky, the first which had shone on 
us for some time, we sped down the valley of the 
Upper Tcherek, and were able to admire a grandeur 
surpassing that of the Alps. The vale is of huge 
size, the wide base often well-nigh level, and the sides 
very lofty and steep. Above these immense grass walls 
rise mountains of the greatest majesty and beauty; vast 
cliffs on which the snow may not rest ; white pinnacles 
jutting far up against the sky, more abrupt than 
the Alps, seeming to tower far higher, and girding the 
fair valley with defences mightier even than the noble 



96 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



peaks which rise by the waters of the Visp and the 
Arve. 

For naked grandeur of mountain form the Tcherek 
valley is probably unequalled in Europe. In the far 
recesses of the Himalayas or Andes, perhaps in the 
Caucasus itself, though it is little likely, some vale 
may be found of yet more sublime and commanding 
beauty; but in the Alps there is nothing so great 
to behold. We were none of us anxious to leave 
the worship of our youth, or hastily to run after new 
gods. I shall have to say later on, that in many 
ways the Northern Caucasus is below the beauty of 
Switzerland; but no fond memory of early admira- 
tion, no sympathetic prejudice in favour of the land 
where we had wandered so long, could blind us to 
the greater splendour of this Tcherek valley. Half 
admiring, half reluctant, we felt the presence of a 
mountain glory beyond any we had known. 

The huge peaks and ridges which are seen rise 
around the valley, with the exception of Dych-Tau, 
which shows admirably from some points, but is at a 
considerable distance to the north-west. The beautiful 
snow cone of this great mountain, though exceedingly 
steep, does not seem to offer any such obstacle as 
would stop a bold and skilful climber, and Dych- 
Tau therefore, when looked at from afar, with its 
lower part hidden by intervening ridges, appears not 
impossible ; but, between the base and the cone, the 
mountain is guarded by terrible precipices, which on 



GLEN OF THE DYCH-SU. 



97 



a near view seem absolutely to bar the way to the 
summit. There may be a way through them by some 
channel or gully, but it may safely be predicted that 
this will be hard to find and hard to climb. 

Three hours' march from our sleeping-place, the 
path led past the mouth of a mysterious glen opening 
opposite a noble pinnacle of steepest crag rising to 
the height of some 16,000 feet, and known by the 
simple and sweet-sounding name of Tsatchartikomi- 
konkh. A sketch of this peak appears in Mr. Fresh- 
field's book. Just by the end of the glen the 
Tcherek is crossed by a bridge, in the middle whereof 
is a stone door, which, as we afterwards found, was 
locked and barred every night as a precaution against 
cattle-lifters, whose marauding visits to the valley 
would seem to be frequent. Close to this bridge, on 
the left bank of the stream, is a chalet, the dwelling of 
a second guard against the disturbers of pastoral rest. 
The inmate of this place of defence greeted us with 
great civility, though with much wonder as to who we 
were ; so we made haste to assure him that we were men 
of peace, which was certainly true, for, had we been ever 
so much inclined towards cattle-lifting, not one of us 
would have known how to set about it. The tempta- 
tion of the glen was such that we determined to give 
up the day to exploring it, and to pass the night at the 
chalet, if the occupant would consent, which he did on 
being promised payment ; so we sent Paul with the 
porters on to Kunim, and immediately began to make 

H 



98 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEEEK. 



our way up the glen, the powerful stream of which 
takes from its parent glacier the name of Dych-Su. 

We desired to explore it, not only because it was 
of great beauty and wildness, but because we knew 
that it would lead us to the threshold of the greatest 
glacier system in the Caucasus, for it was certain that 
the torrent which roared down this glen or lateral 
valley came from a mighty icefield lying to the east 
of the great peak of Kotchan Tau, an icefield as yet al- 
together unexplored, though Mr. Freshfield and his 
companions had seen it from the ridge which in the 
lower part of its area forms its northern bank. 

Sheep had made some sort of track up the valley, 
but it was a rough and stony path, and w r e experienced 
in all its fulness one of the drawbacks to a Caucasian 
walk. The upper parts of the valleys are often 
covered with boulders and stones of every possible 
shape and size. Sometimes they are bare ; sometimes 
grass-grown; but always vexatious, wearisome, and 
shin-breaking. The most sublime scenery cannot be 
enjoyed, indeed can hardly be looked at, by a man who 
has to pick his steps among treacherous rocks, and 
who is continually finding himself in the position which 
may sometimes be seen in the streets of London when 
an unlucky passenger has stepped on the unsecured 
lid of a coal-cellar. 

The glen was of wonderful grandeur; rugged, 
steep sides towering up to a vast height above the 
furious stream which roared down its base ; just oppo- 



THE GREAT ICE-FIELD. 



99 



site its opening the magnificent peak with the unut- 
terable name^ which had that morning a fitful glory 
playing over its noble outline ; for though down in 
the vale it was calm as married love, up above a furious 
wind was raging, and from the crest of the mountain 
there streamed away the snow raised by the tempest, 
a wavering but beautiful halo made all golden by the 
rays of the eastern sun. From one nook, whence it 
seemed as if the base of the mountain must be close 
upon us at the foot of the glen, the view could only 
be described by the often misused word sublime. We 
halted, silent and impressed, to contemplate the won- 
derful sight. It was a moment never to be forgotten, 
certainly not likely to be forgotten by me, for at that 
place I had to divide a mutton-chop into four, a task 
of some difficulty, and performed by me in such a way 
as to discontent every one. Continuing our way, we 
came to the head of the Dych-Su valley, about two 
hours after entering it. The stream here flowed from 
the base of a steep mass of ice, the abrupt end of a 
glacier. Mounting on to this by the moraine on its 
right bank, we found ourselves on the edge of a vast 
icefield. 

We had indeed reached the extremity of what I have 
described as the greatest glacier system in the whole 
Caucasian chain. From the point we had attained the 
huge sheet of ice extended for some eight or ten miles 
apparently, to the north-east, where it was surrounded 
at the head by an immense cirque, beyond which, tower- 

H 2 



100 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



ing over several other summits, rose an immense 
peak. The longest axis of the icefield or glacier was 
from the south-western end which we had reached to 
the north-east. The breadth may have been from three 
to four miles in the widest part. The ridge bounding 
the glacier to the south was cut by a great gap, 
through which flowed down to the main glacier, from 
a huge unseen reservoir, a stream of broken seracs. 

Now this vast, grim icefield, solitary as a Polar 
Sea, untraversed, almost unknown, was of all others 
the place most tempting for those who love to learn 
the secrets of mountain regions. What an interest 
there would be in exploring these mighty untrodden 
glaciers, and who could say what weird beauty might 
not reveal itself in these silent ice-rivers flowing 
by the mighty hills ? Probably none but native 
hunters and shepherds had ever set foot even on the 
edge of the huge icefield, and the greater part of it was 
unknown alike to natives and Russians. Very anxious 
w r ere we to ascend to its head ; and, scant as our time 
was, we would willingly have sacrificed part of our 
intended journey, and given two or three days to 
examining this region ; but beyond the threshold we 
were not allowed to tread. To explore unknown gla- 
ciers in mist, rain, and snow were like seeking to 
pronounce on different colours in the dark ; and that 
mist, rain, and snow were at hand it was impossible 
to doubt on the day when we made our way up the 
valley of the Dych-Su. 



ASCENT OF A SLOPE. 



101 



The morning had been magnificent, but the baro- 
meter, which had been falling for some days past, 
instead of rising for the fine weather, had fallen yet 
more ; and as we ascended the valley numerous 
clouds began to steal over the hill-sides. Standing at 
the end of the glacier, we could see the peaks near its 
head, but evil mists were already gathering on their 
flanks, so much indeed that we could not be absolutely 
certain whether we saw the head of the glacier or not. 
The fair weather had been but a momentary respite. 
The black tempests of the Caucasus were coming down 
on us again, and with the little time we had it was 
clearly impossible for us to wait until the weather 
should clear enough for us to explore the great ice- 
field ; so we sadly determined that we must go on our 
way the next day, leaving the huge glacier to be 
studied by some more fortunate or less hurried travel- 
lers. We determined, however, to see what we could 
at the time, and for this purpose we crossed the ice 
close to its end, and toiled up the long and steep slope 
on the left or northern bank of the glacier. Very 
trying this slope was, as such places commonly are. 
Who that has been in the mountains does not know 
the weariness and spleen that come of ascending a 
monotonous incline, where the hard and prolonged 
labour, with little for a time to break its monotony, 
causes a man sometimes to indulge in heretical specu- 
lation, and ask himself foolishly whether there will be 
anything to repay him for this drudgery, and whether 



102 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



going up high, places be not after all an error. Per- 
haps, considering how silliness of this kind fills a mind 
which is unfortunately idle, it may be considered as a 
kindly contrivance of nature that, in the ascent of a 
long grass slope, several successive crests are seen, 
each of which seems, from a little way below, to be 
the top of the ridge, and each of which, when reached, 
proves to be commanded by something greatly higher ; 
so that wholesome excitement, and equally wholesome 
disappointment, distract the mind from too much in- 
dulgence in evil thoughts. 

When, after floundering up an unusually steep 
slope, we reached at last the crest of the glacier's left 
bank, we looked on a sight of great beauty, though 
full of evil meaning for us. The mists had gathered 
closely and heavily round the mountains, revealing, 
however, here and there sharp peaks and vast escarped 
sides, with all that wonderful look of immense height 
and distance which summits and precipices have when 
seen above a great belt of cloud. But grand as the 
eiFect of the partly-gathered mist was, beautiful as 
were the glimpses of far off, and for us, alas, inacces- 
sible mountain-tops, we read in the steadily increasing 
clouds the sign that bad weather was imminent, and 
that it was gathering for a long course. 

The great glacier system on a portion of which we 
were looking down is supposed by Moore, from what 
he saw from the spot we had reached and from other 
places attained during his journey in 1868, to be 



GREAT GLACIER SYSTEM. 



103 



divided into two parts. One is the huge icefield of 
which we had touched the edge, and on which we were 
now looking down. The other, which is also probably 
of great extent, lies to the south of the first, separated 
from it by a bold ridge, and sending a stream of seracs 
into it through the gap which I have mentioned. Of 
the southern icefield I cannot speak from personal 
observation, as we could see nothing of it save the 
icefall which filled the gap. The Russian map gives 
scarcely any indication of the existence of either of 
those mighty glaciers. Turning as sadly as Moses on 
his mountain from the contemplation of the vast, 
untrodden solitudes which it was not to be our good 
fortune to explore, we ran down the slopes on the 
opposite side of the ridge to that by which we had 
ascended, and returned to the Tcherek valley by a 
small lateral glen. Ascending by this glen, Mr. Fresh- 
field and his companions had reached, in 1868, the 
same point on the ridge which we had attained from 
the opposite side. 

The rain which had long threatened, and promised 
(nor promised vainjy) long to last, was falling heavily 
when we got back to the hut. Its old guardian, who 
had been out himself and got in a few minutes after we 
did, was welcomed with a warmth which puzzled him, 
he being apparently unacquainted with the deep form 
of human affection known as cupboard love. Without 
him, indeed, we could get nothing at all to eat that 
afternoon, and mountain air and continuous exercise 



104 



VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



enable a man to digest a whole quarter of a mutton- 
chop, and even to feel anxious for something else dur- 
ing the day. Such is the bracing effect on debilitated 
London systems of Alpine or Caucasian life. Very 
simple was the food which the old man gave us, but 
worth describing, for the fashion in which he cooked it 
was most likely the same as prevailed in the days of 
Abraham and Isaac* Out of a paste of brown flour and 
water he kneaded cakes about the size of a Bath bun. 
These were browned round the wood fire, and were 
then buried in the hot ashes for some ten minutes, after 
which they were taken out thoroughly baked, or rather 
roasted, and as good as anything man could desire. 
With these he gave fresh milk, but this was a conces- 
sion to our degraded tastes, for fresh milk is not what a 
Caucasian loves, or will touch if he can help it. His 
habitual drink is a mixture of sour milk and water, 
which later on will be described. 

The old man was, I believe, a guard of the herds, 
but only a subordinate one, for towards the evening 
the cheery, stalwart hunter with whom I had talked at 
the upper chalet came in, and it was obvious that he 
was lord of the place. Conversation with him was 
unfortunately impossible, for, as Paul had gone on 
with the porters, we could do nothing on either side 
but express our goodwill by signs which, on such 
occasions, are usually found to be by no means so 
ready and fertile a language as travellers' tales would 
lead one to believe. It is curious how often a dis- 



DESCENT TO KUNIM. 



105 



appointed look comes over the face of a man thus con- 
versed with, showing but too clearly that a false im- 
pression has been given. A few tiny juggling tricks 
amused and hugely bewildered the honest hunter and a 
young shepherd, seemingly free of the place, who came 
in after dark. A very bad return the latter made for 
what he certainly enjoyed. Not among Swiss guides, 
Scotch gillies, or British seamen, have I ever heard 
such a snore as came from that youth. There was an 
agonising sostenuto about it which was very torture 
to a would-be sleeper. 

We were off early next morning, wishing to get to 
Kunim by the middle of the day, and during the first 
part of our walk saw as much to admire as there had 
been higher up in the valley. I wish I could give 
some description of the snow region in this part of the 
Caucasus ; but this cannot be done, for the excellent 
reason that scarcely anything is known of topo- 
graphy of • the high country in this district. The map 
is worse than vague, telling hardly anything. Even 
the native hunters do not seem to trust themselves on 
the glaciers, and the great peaks and ice-wilds which 
compass the valley are as yet wrapped in virginal 
mystery. 

Some two hours' march from the hut the valley 
loses its beauty. The high mountains are seen no 
more, and the grass slopes on either side are dull and 
uninteresting. Curiously rapid and curiously complete 
the change is from magnificence to dreariness, The 



106 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



valley again becomes beautiful, though in a different 
way, below the villages, where great limestone cliffs 
rise above the rushing waters of the Tcherek ; but for 
two or three hours above Kunim there is nothing to 
gladden the eye of the wayfarer. 

After about five hours' walk we came in sight of 
the first of a group of villages which stand in a part of 
the vale where it widens greatly, some large lateral 
valleys here opening into it. The village we first saw 
was Shkanti, on the right bank of the stream. Oppo- 
site this, but hidden from us for a while by a projecting 
shoulder, was Kunim, our resting-place for the day. 
Below this were Mukhol (visited by Mr. Freshfield in 
1868), Tsegitel, and Kurdenet. 

We had got then to the dwellings of the Moham- 
medan tribes on the northern side of the great chain, 
and I doubt whether anything stranger can meet men's 
eyes than these houses when seen for the first time. 
Deserted cow-sheds, vast empty dog-kennels,* the home 
of some animal constructive like the beaver, but on a 
much larger scale ; anything but the habitations of 
men do these strange hamlets seem to the traveller. 
They usually appear at first to be completely empty, 
why I cannot tell, for there are plenty of people in 
them ; but perhaps it is because they are so utterly 
unlike the dwellings of human beings that the eye 
does not look for men, and therefore of course does 
not find them. On nearer approach, however, num- 
bers of men, women, and children are found, and the 



CAUCASIAN DWELLINGS, 



107 



traveller discovers to his astonishment that these poor 
sheds are inhabited by a well-to-do and orderly race, 
remarkably handsome, stately in bearing, self-respect- 
ing, partly civilised in their ways, and sometimes very 
richly clad. With Eastern fixity, however, they cling 
to the dwellings which were good enough for their 
forefathers. 

A description of the ordinary Caucasian house in 
the country we traversed on the northern side of the 
chain will show how exceedingly primitive the native 
fashion of building is. The walls are usually made of 
large, loose stones, and the roof of exceedingly massive 
timber, covered with earth, on which the grass grows 
thick and luxuriant. The hill-side cut away vertically 
forms often one side of the house, the ground being, of 
course, cut horizontally for the floor. There is never 
more than one storey. The houses generally possess a 
fireplace and chimney, that part of the latter which 
rises above the roof being made of wicker-work, plas- 
tered over with clay so as to prevent it from taking 
fire. The floor is commonly the bare ground, it not 
being the custom in the Caucasus, save in exceptionally 
luxurious dwellings, to board the earth over, or even 
to cover it with matting or straw. There is usually a 
verandah in front of the house, and the one or two tiny 
windows generally open into this. They are not 
glazed, being closed at night or in bad weather by 
shutters, and, owing to their very small size, the Cau- 
casian interiors are exceedingly dark. Even at mid- 



108 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



day they are gloomy, and in early evening they become 
as cellars for light. What the Caucasians would do in 
the winter time was to us a wonder never diminished. 
Candles are very scarce, and men, however well-dis- 
posed, cannot sleep eighteen hours a day. Perhaps 
the abnormal powers of conversation which we fre- 
quently noticed have been produced by the necessity 
of getting through time ; for absolute indolence is a 
beatified state which in this world man does not seem 
to be able to attain. 

Such description as I have been able to give will 
perhaps explain the cave-like look which was so 
noticeable in the dwellings in this part of the valley. 
The houses, partly scooped out of the hill-side, grass- 
grown as to the roofs, appeared rather to belong to 
those who burrow in the earth than to those who 
build on it, and seemed to suggest a race abiding, like 
Hamlet's fathers in the cellarage. What manner of 
people they were who were content thus to dwell we 
were now to discover. 

Passing the buttress which hid Kunim from our 
view until we were close upon it, we entered the 
strange place. Men, women, and children, and many 
of them gathered about our way, very curious, a good 
deal amused, and wondering much, but not in the 
least ill disposed. A man had been sent some distance 
up the valley to meet us, and led us to a place where 
we found gathered together Paul, the chief of the 
village, and a group of the local aristocracy. Said 



A COLD RECEPTION. 



109 



Paul to the chief on our arrival : — These are the gentle- 
men whose coming I announced to you yesterday. 

The Chief (very coldly). — They are welcome. A 
house has been got ready for them. Bid them go in. 

Paul (rather abashed). — They are very worthy 
men, and are indeed persons of note and importance. 
They are under the protection of the Russian authori- 
ties, who esteem them highly. 

The Chief (quite unmoved). — I doubt not, and 
have much regard for the gentlemen myself, but, as I 
have various pressing matters on hand, they will 
doubtless excuse me if I now leave them. — And with a 
very stiff salute the chief was off. 

Now this was a cold reception ; of evil augury too 
in the first Mohammedan village we entered, where we 
looked for that grave kindliness which the Mussulman 
is said to show the stranger within his gates. But it 
was entirely our own fault. "We had committed a 
cardinal error, and we learnt a practical lesson which 
we did not forget. When Paul had been sent on the 
evening before, we had neglected to give him the 
Russian order on the chiefs of the villages, desiring 
them to render us all aid. Now this order was valu- 
able in two ways. First, it obliged the chiefs to find 
us those two necessary things, food and lodging, which 
would often be hard to get without their assistance. 
Secondly, it had the subordinate but very important 
effect of making them think that we were travellers of 
some importance and worthy of good treatment. Nor 



110 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



is this a matter of small moment, for the chiefs, natu- 
rally enough, are not disposed to give themselves any- 
trouble about ordinary wanderers, who may be mere 
pedlers or vagabonds. There is a strong aristocratic 
feeling in these remote valleys, but also a strong 
feeling of hospitality ; and once let the chief think that 
he is dealing with equals, with men who from his point 
of view are gentlemen, and then with the Mohammedan 
sense of what is due to a guest, he will be exceedingly 
anxious that the travellers shall fare well at his hands, 
and to that end will exert himself not a little ; other- 
wise he will take but small pains. Nor can one say 
that he is wrong. An English country gentleman 
would not greatly bestir himself in order to do the 
honours of his house to a bagman or an exciseman. 

The chief of Kunim then did not feel himself 
called on to pay us any special attention, though, being 
a just man, he took care that some provision should be 
made for us. His brother-in-law found us house-room 
and helped us to get what we wanted, so, being fairly 
well off, we consoled ourselves for our frigid reception 
by drawing a moral, which was, that on the north side 
of the Caucasian chain a man must be willing to blow 
his own trumpet now and then, and must not be afraid 
of blowing it loudly. 

But we gave small time to deductions, sound or 
unsound. There was nothing to keep us at Kunim, so 
we determined to get on our way next day, but we 
had the afternoon to spare, and within an easy ride 



DESCENT OF THE VALLEY. Ill 

was the great gorge of the Tcherek, the Via Mala of 
the Caucasus. For this accordingly , shortly after our 
arrival, Gardiner and I started on two Caucasian 
ponies, such rough trotters that I can only compare 
riding one of them to going down a moraine on a 
sledge. After descending the narrow streets of the 
village we came to the meadow-land forming the base 
of the valley, which here widens greatly, though it 
contracts rapidly lower down the stream. It would, I 
think, be hard to find anything uglier than this part 
of the vale. Vast, monotonous, green hills, poor in 
outline and little broken by crag or forest, rise all 
round, cultivation marking their flanks with hard 
straight lines. A valley leads away to the east, 
another to the west, but they are of the same dull, un- 
varying green, and in neither of them can aught be 
seen on which the eye loves to dwell for an instant. I 
believe that in Dauphine there are valleys to be found 
as ill favoured, but never in Switzerland have I seen 
such ugliness, or anything thereto approaching. It 
can only be compared to a dreary bit of hill country 
in Lancashire, the Caucasian scale being of course 
some ten times greater. One redeeming feature, in- 
deed, there was in the beautiful flowers which crim- 
soned some of the fields through which we passed, a 
frequent delight in the Caucasus, for many times after- 
wards did we suddenly come upon a like crimson, 
golden, or purple tapestry on meadow or hill-side. 
After leaving the prairie thus radiant with colour, 



112 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 

crossing an ugly grip? and then the main stream, we 
were out of the dull monotonous country, and entered 
a different region. The valley began to narrow, or 
rather, I should say, became a true valley again. On 
our right was a high grass-covered hill ; on our left a 
mighty wall of red cliff. At one part of this there was 
a flight of eagles such as we had neither of us ever 
seen before, and have small hope ever to see again. 
They were sailing to and fro in front of the great ram- 
part of rock, where probably are ledges and holes 
fitted for their eyries. At least only thus can I 
account for the large number of them. I counted 
twelve on the wing close together, and there were 
many more under weigh; some flying low down 
with their peculiar undulating sweep, often near 
enough to enable us to realise what the vast spread 
of their wings was ; others flitting half way up the 
cliff, while far above it a few could be seen wheeling 
ceaselessly round and round, as the eagle usually does 
at great heights. Wonderful to watch is the strong 
and stately flight of these huge birds, but what an im- 
pression of weariness and hunger they leave. Their 
long sweeps close to the ground with their heads hung 
down, or that circular course for hours and hours up 
aloft, seem always to tell so plainly of the incessant 
quest for food and of an existence of hardest toil and 
frequent famine. They are stately, but seem very 
dismal nevertheless. Can any one imagine an eagle 
amusing himself as smaller birds do, or making the 
most of himself for his mate to admire him ? 



A NARROW ESCAPE. 



113 



But I was suddenly withdrawn from the contem- 
plation of eagles and their ways. My pony was, as I 
have said, the roughest of trotters, and certainly not 
remarkable for shape, but he had a courage worthy of 
a winner of the Grand National, and, yielding to the 
pleasure of letting the plucky little animal take the 
constant ups and downs of the road at his own pace, I 
got some short way ahead of my companion. Coming 
to the top of one rather steep bit, I looked round and 
saw no one, called loudly and got no answer. I was 
just turning to go back, when suddenly appeared 
Gardiner's pony, riderless, without a saddle, and 
wearing that peculiarly amiable expression which 
horses have when they have got rid of a human being 
and greatly damaged him in doing so. Visions of a 
broken girth, and of a friend kicked into the roaring 
Tcherek, rose in the instant. Or were there robbers in 
this savage valley, and had the horse got away in the 
struggle ? Perhaps blood was calling from the ground 
for vengeance ; so I rode back, realising, in the most 
definite manner, how very disagreeable it would be 
to be neatly picked off from behind a stone, with- 
out getting even a chance of returning the bullet. It 
must be unpleasant to be shot, but doubly so to be 
shot in an unsportsmanlike manner. However, all was 
well, for Gardiner, alive and vigorous, bearing like a 
jockey his saddle about him, came in sight as I went 
round a bend of the road. His horse had been loosely 
girthed at starting, and of course the girths had got 

I 



114 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



looser and looser as we went on, until at last, when the 
animal came to a steep incline, both saddle and rider 
had unavoidably gone over his tail, the rider being 
dropped just on the outer edge of the path with some 
eighty feet of desperately steep bank between him and 
the river. One kick, one tiny kick, would have sent 
him into the Tcherek, and by that waterway to eter- 
nity ; but the kindly animal refrained, and, disen- 
tangling its feet from the girths, walked quietly on. 
Gardiner saved himself with some difficulty from going 
over the edge, picked up his saddle and followed, not 
in the smallest degree daunted by his very narrow 
escape. The horse was caught, and so tightly girthed 
this time that I am afraid he must have sadly reflected 
— this is the return I get for not kicking a man into 
the river when I could have done so with ease. 

Closer and closer were the great sides of the gorge 
as we went on. The huge wall on our left continued, 
and the other bank became nearly as precipitous. The 
path came close down to the furious stream, which we 
crossed twice on frail bridges, and the gloom grew deep 
as we got further in the great mountain cleft. Rising 
a little presently on the left bank of the stream we 
reached the place where the gorge is narrowest. 

The Tcherek, here streaming through what seems 
scarcely more than a rift in the mountains, is turned in 
this part of its course by a bold hill, leaving but small 
space for the waters to flow. Still further to narrow 
the torrent, a great rock on the right bank nearly bars 



THE GORGE OF THE TCHEREK 



115 



the channel, and by the base of this the river forces 
with great struggle its angry way. It will have the 
best of the rock in the long run, but at present it has 
much trouble to get past, and roars and hisses after 
the fashion of rivers checked and turned in their course. 
The rock which here blocks the gorge approaches the 
left bank so closely as nearly to touch it, only some 
five or six feet of bridge being required to carry the 
path over. Far, far below this bridge the seething 
water struggles through the narrow channel. On the 
other side of the rock is a deep cleft, now dry, but 
through which the river has at one time flowed, for in- 
deed it has fought hard against its enemy. Going 
up the steep right bank of the gorge, we looked to the 
south on some thickly-wooded country, not of any 
great beauty. The stream was lost and could be seen 
no more. 

It was growing late, and we made such haste as we 
could back to the village, near which we met some 
women who, after the candid but disrespectful fashion 
of women, laughed at us — laughed at us a great deal. 
They were themselves remarkable in one way, for 
though they were wretchedly dressed, almost in rags, 
each of them wore a wide zone, the front of which 
was of silver, partly gilt. Their laughter may have 
prejudiced me against them, but I did not think them 
comely. 

Getting back to the house where the chief had 

i 2 



116 VALLEY OF THE UPPER TCHEREK. 



quartered us, we found it half full of curious villagers 
who had come to see what the strangers were like, 
and had thus our first experience of a practice rather 
trying to travellers in the Caucasus, though they have 
to learn from absolute necessity to tolerate it. The 
Northern Caucasians are a good-tempered race, well- 
disposed towards travellers, and rarely intentionally 
rude ; but they are also, like a mastiff in a butcher's 
shop, more free and easy than is pleasant. That their 
presence can ever be a bore to those who come 
among them, that these latter can ever wish to be 
alone, are ideas which never enter their heads. The 
traveller finds that all day long the room in which he 
is lodged is crowded with statelv natives, who watch 
him with a curiosity which nothing seems to abate. 
They are present at his getting up and at his lying 
down, -at his eating and drinking, at his going forth 
and at his coming in. They discuss all he does in a 
language of course unintelligible to him, but their 
tones seem to indicate the keenest interest, and that 
interest never appears to flag. We found in the 
villages we visited that, as with the old kings of 
France, the lever and coucher were public ; that men 
stared hard to see the last of us when we went out, 
and gathered immediately on our coming back ; that 
while we stayed indoors we had, if the expression may 
be allowed, a perpetual c at home,' the reception 
only ending when the lights were put out. Then at 



CA UCASIAN CURIOSITY. 



117 



last the visitors dispersed ; that is to say, our servants 
gently turned them out, and often would their voices 
be afterwards heard outside discussing the strangers — 
let it be hoped in a genial and laudatory spirit. 



118 



CHAPTER IV. 

BEZINGrI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GKOTJP. 

Prices in the Caucasus — Start from Kunim — Position of Bezingi — 
Caucasian Dogs — An unexpected Follower — Arrival at Bezingi — 
Difficulty in getting Food— Curiosity of the Villagers— The In- 
visible Princess — Delayed a Day by Bad Weather — Start for the 
Urban Glacier — Excellent Camping Place found close to it — Dych 
Tau — Walk up the Glacier — Wonderful Ice Valley at its Head — 
Tau Tetnuid, Djanga, and Kotchan Tau — Question as to the Possi- 
bility of Ascending the last-named Mountain — Tau Tetnuid pro- 
bably Accessible — Col to the North-east of Kotchan Tau — Dych Tau 
and the Nameless Peak — Bad Weather again — Impossibility in 
consequence of passing over the Main Chain into Suenetia — Return 
to the Camping Place and to Bezingi. 

The next morning, July 15, promised ill, and we made 
ready to start, feeling nearly certain that we should see 
next to nothing of the country. We were rather 
melancholy therefore when getting off, Paul being 
especially sad. For the provisions he had bought the 
day before he had been obliged to pay what he con- 
sidered a great deal too much, and he attributed this to 
the Gebi porters, who had, he imagined, told the men 
of Kunim the prices which we had paid at Gebi. This 
Paul resented quite as much as if he had been parting 
with his own money, and he swore terribly therefore 



PRICES IN THE CAUCASUS. 



119 



in the Georgian tongue. We bore the extortion with 
more philosophy than our honest servant, for such 
things had happened to us in our travels before, and 
besides the loss was not great. Whether great or 
little, however, we had to make up our minds this 
time, as often afterwards on our journey, not to fume 
much at being overcharged, for when we had to buy 
things overcharged we always were. 

The Northern Caucasians are a primitive people, 
leading in the seclusion of their great valleys that pas- 
toral life which is commonly associated with honesty, 
simplicity, and truthfulness. Far above the grade of 
mere barbarians who are dishonest in the same way 
as a dog is dishonest, civilised to some extent, but not 
enough to have learnt the innumerable wiles and 
trickeries which accompany civilisation and commerce, 
they should surely present an example of that straight- 
forwardness and fair dealing which we believe to have 
prevailed in earlier days, and in a more simple state of 
society. To some extent they do ; in some ways they 
are good people. Theft seems to be almost unknown 
amongst them, and murder or violence, if not un- 
known, are exceedingly rare ; but in matters of sale 
the) r are nearly as sharp and as ready to take advan- 
tage of a stranger as tradesmen and innkeepers nearer 
home. The chiefs usually got us what we wanted, 
and their position did not allow them to demand any- 
thing for their cheer, though of course we took care that 
they were no losers ; but when we bought for ourselves 



120 BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GROUP. 



we almost always had to pay a great deal too much, 
a state of things which was annoying at the time, but 
had its good side, as tending to make one less im- 
patient of the constant struggle against imposition 
which has to be maintained at home, and less inclined 
to believe that one lives in specially fraudulent days. 
The desire to take an unfair advantage of a fellow- 
creature in a bargain seems to be a natural instinct of 
man, found in him whatever his sort or condition, and 
as deeply rooted in the breast of the simple shepherd 
as of the keenest speculator on the Stock Exchange. 

We saw, however, the better side of the Caucasian 
character just before starting, for a pleasant young 
chief with whom we had talked the evening before 
came with two or three friends to say good-bye, and to 
wish us very cordially a successful journey. He was a 
relation of the princes of Urusbieh, where in good time 
we hoped to be, and gave us a letter to one of them 
commending us to his good offices. At the last moment 
the chief of the village appeared, but he had abated 
nothing of his coldness, and it was obvious that he 
thought us but small deer ; so assuming a manner as 
haughty as our very disreputable appearance would 
allow, and tendering him the most frigid thanks which 
Paul could put into Turkish, we went on our way, 
impressing him, I think, somewhat by our severity, as 
will appear shortly. The lesson he had taught us was 
not lost upon us during our subsequent journey, but at 
the moment we were not much concerned about his 



CAUCASIAN BOGS. 



121 



views, as we were thinking rather what the way to 
Bezingi would be like, for to Bezingi were we now 
bound. 

That village is situated in what may be best de- 
scribed as the valley of the Western Tcherek. The 
stream which flows past Bezingi is called the Urban, 
but is, in fact, the upper part of the western branch 
of the river Tcherek. The eastern branch, which we 
were just quitting, is somewhat the greater of the 
two, and therefore the true river ; but they are both 
rapid and powerful mountain torrents. 

Our course lay at first nearly due north, over the 
green slopes on the north-western side of the valley. 
The day, bad from the beginning, became rapidly 
worse. The sky grew blacker and blacker, and the 
mist gathered over hill-top and ridge. Rain and dark- 
ness were coming, and, a good deal dejected by the 
bad weather, I got considerably behind my three com- 
panions, and was walking along pondering over the 
moistness of things when I was startled by a terrific 
din, and, turning round, saw the faithful Paul in sore 
danger from a combined attack of three unprincipled 
dogs. One huge brute had tried to pin him, and had 
been driven off with stones ; but the moment after 
two other dogs came furiously out upon him, and 
while he was making fight against them the original 
aggressor stole up behind him, intending, with con- 
siderable cunning, to take him in the rear while he 
was defending himself from the onslaught in front* 



122 BEZINGI AND THE KOT CHAN T ATI GROUP. 



If the crafty beast had succeeded, and Paul had been 
brought to the ground-, as very likely he would have 
been, things might have gone ill with him, as it would 
have been exceedingly difficult to have shot the dogs 
without imminent risk of shooting the man. Fortu- 
nately I succeeded, for once., in sending a heavy stone 
straight which, I believe, broke the jaw of the dog 
who was coming up behind ; at all events it sent him 
howling away, and we then drove off the other two. 
Now this may seem a very trifling incident to record, 
but in truth Paul was in considerable danger, and at 
different times so were others of us from the Caucasian 
dogs, jackal-like brutes, not resembling any breed 
known in England. Exceedingly savage 5 and with 
even more than the usual hatred of dogs for strangers, 
they have a good deal of the cunning of the wild beast. 
Constantly, when going into or out of a village, or 
approaching a shepherd's camp, the traveller is set 
upon by three or four of these ill-conditioned hounds, 
who often make a combined attack on him with con- 
siderable craft. He cannot shoot them, as to do so 
might breed a serious quarrel with the villagers, and 
he must trust to the straight delivery of big pebbles, 
unless, like Mr. Pelham in the gutter, he is content 
to stand still and scream for assistance, which certainly 
will not come. It is an ignoble and ridiculous form 
of danger, but a real danger nevertheless. Another 
vice almost as trying as the desire to flesh themselves 
on foreigners have the Caucasian dogs. They bark 



AN UNEXPECTED FOLLOWER. 



123 



all night long, and of the many curses which the 
wanderer in the Caucasus breathes, few are more 
deep and sincere than these with which he devotes to 
destruction the noisy curs who rob him of the sleep 
which, with some reason perhaps, he thinks he has 
earned. 

The dogs got rid of, Paul and I joined the others, 
and we plodded together along the path which, after 
rising for some distance, led us into a desolate glen 
w T ith high, treeless sides of grass, and a strong stream 
roaring down through it. We crossed by a frail 
bridge, and making our way up the steep valley-side, 
were soon enveloped in a dense mist. Suddenly there 
appeared through it a phantom horseman, who shortly 
overtook us, and with many expressions of goodwill 
thrust his companionship on us, and whose doings 
during that day and the two following ones were to 
us a mystery and a wonder. His story, which he un- 
folded to the very unwilling ears of Paul, was that 
the chief of Kunim, reflecting after we had gone 
that we knew nothing of the country, had sent him 
after us to act as a sort of courier or dragoman, and 
to tell the men of Bezingi of our worth and nobility. 
Certainly during three days he did what was possible 
in the way of bustling about without being of the 
slightest use, of telling us that everything was ready 
when he knew perfectly well that nothing was, and of 
getting in everybody's way, while he never tired of 
informing us that he had told the people about what 



124 BE ZING I AND THE KG T CHAN TAXI GROUP. 



considerable persons we were, and how worthy of 
respect. Paul believed bun to be a mere scamp who 
had joined us to get what he could from us for his 
very unnecessary services, and we were much exer- 
cised in our minds as to whether he had been sent 
by the chief or not. I believe myself that he was 
and that the head of Kunim, reflecting after our de- 
parture that he had shown scant courtesy, and that 
perhaps he had badly entertained great men unawares, 
had despatched this fellow as an act of civility. 
Our coldness on leaving the village may have had 
some effect. It is worth remarking, that sending a 
man to attend on a stranger is a very cheap piece of 
hospitality on the part of a Caucasian chief, for the 
follower thus sent expects to be paid, and well paid, 
for anything he does. If he accompanies the stranger 
for a short walk he considers it a day's work, and 
much the best course is to get rid of him with urba- 
nity, but as soon as possible. Of course it is diffe- 
rent when the man is worth keeping for anything he 
can do, as, for instance, when he is a hunter acquainted 
with the mountain tracks* Through a thick mist, 
hiding everything and wetting us through, we went 
on. Our path lay up the side of the valley we had 
entered, and then, as it appeared to me, over the 
ridges at the heads of two other valleys, but, with a 
fog which hid things twenty paces off, any attempt 
to form an idea of our course was mere guesswork. 
Presently we found ourselves on what was apparently 



ARRIVAL AT BE ZING L 



125 



a great rolling clown , and after walking over two 
undulations of this, w T e began to descend rapidly by- 
some steep zigzags. When we had gone a short way 
clown these, we suddenly passed out of the dense mist 
and saw Bezingi beneath us ; a quaint, little collec- 
tion of half-burrowed huts, just like those of Kunim, 
creeping up the hill-side ? and made to nestle against it 
where that was possible. The place had a wobegone 
look, and the valley was hideous. Going rapidly 
down its high and steep bank by a well-contrived 
path, we made, being wet and dejected, but a very 
tame entry into Bezingi 

Our day's march is over, and we have reached our 
resting-place for the time, but, as is often the case in 
Caucasian villages, it appears at first as though things 
were not going to be pleasant. After some question- 
ing we learn that the chief and another who rules 
under him are both away, and though w T e are shown 
into the house used for guests, the chance of obtain- 
ing food seems faint and remote. Matters look un- 
pleasant for hungry men. The officious aid from 
Kunim declares that he will get us all we want, and 
disappears. After a time come some natives who have 
provisions to sell, but for these of course they demand 
exorbitant prices, and on poor, hardworked Paul de- 
volves the long and weary task of beating them down. 
A crowd which has collected divides its rapt attention 
between us and the bargaining, but I fairly carry the 
day and become the attraction, for when I sit dow r n 



126 BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GROUP. 



under the verandah and begin to write some notes, I 
cause an excitement even greater than that produced 
by the haggling over the price of a fowl. 

A strange group it is which wondering and volu- 
ble gathers round me. First, there is an c old, very 
old 5 man, clad in a sheepskin coat, with the wool 
turned inwards. Age has dimmed his eye, drawn 
wrinkles innumerable on his face, bent his once power- 
ful frame, but has in no way dulled his more than 
feminine curiosity. Sidling gradually up, he first takes 
off my hat and examines it carefully, until indignant 
dumb-show causes him to return it. Then he watches 
the writing for some time over my shoulder, satisfies 
himself as to the texture of a tweed coat, and winds 
up with a careful examination of a hobnailed boot, al- 
ways an object of great wonder to Caucasians. Closely 
following; this senior's minute investigation are two stal- 
w T art fellows in full national costume, silver-sheathed 
poniard at the belt, silver cartridge cases on the breast, 
bearing themselves, despite their very petty curiosity, 
with the dignity which never forsakes a Caucasian of 
the higher ranks. Behind them is a host of natives of 
less degree talking to each other with wonderful volu- 
bility, and much envying the old man his thorough 
overhaul of the stranger. It is, however, apparently 
considered a privilege of age, for, happily for me, no 
one else attempts it. 

There was one man who puzzled me much. He 
was continually coming, taking a good stare, and 



THE INVISIBLE PRINCESS. 



127 



then going away, returning shortly afterwards, 
having another gaze, and again departing, as though 
a very grubby Englishman shone, like Moses on 
the Mount, too much to be borne for long. I found 
out afterwards the cause of his intermittent watching. 
He was a servant of the chiefs two wives, the great 
ladies of the village, and as, by no possibility, would 
Mohammedan rules allow them to come and look at 
us themselves, this special reporter was sent down 
to observe us, and bring up information bit by bit, 

A very good creature indeed w r as the elder and 
more important of these two princesses, and most 
zealously did she strive in her husband's absence to 
do the honours of her house. She was, I imagine, 
rather scared when she first heard of our arrival, and 
preparations for entertainment are not quickly made in 
a Caucasian hamlet, so nothing appeared for a w T hile, 
and Paul, thinking that nothing was forthcoming, 
bought what he could from the natives. But the good 
woman was working for us all the time. After some 
delay, only natural in such circumstances, she sent tea 
and cakes, the invariable first offering of Caucasian 
hospitality, and much later, when we had dined com- 
fortably enough on what Paul had got, we heard to 
our horror that the princess- had caused a sheep to be 
killed, and that we were shortly to feast thereon, Now^ 
men who travel on foot in the mountains are capable 
of much eating, and I think we were good examples of 
what Englishmen can do in that way ; but a whole 



128 BEZINGI AND THE KOT CHAN T ATI GROUP. 



sheep by way of dessert — it was too much. We sent a 
prayer to the princess to stay her too hospitable hand, 
and went to bed, thus intrenching ourselves, so to 
speak, against the mutton. 

Next morning was 'dull and watery, and the mist 
came down nearly to the base of the valley. A crowd 
of natives collected directly we began to stir, and 
watched us all the forenoon with untiring zeal. We 
were hailed as old friends by a very dirty man from 
Gdbi, who had joined us in the woods at the head of 
the Rion, and had crossed the pass with us. He was, 
we were informed, a pedlar, but he did not seem to 
have much to part with, except vermin, and that, I am 
afraid, must be a drug at Bezingi. He was really 
glad to see us, as Caucasians commonly are if they 
have travelled with one for awhile, and I hope he 
made his money in the village ; but as he had nothing 
to sell, and the villagers had nothing to buy with, 
there must have been some difficulty in doing business, 
modern principles of finance not having been yet 
mastered in the Caucasus. 

We strolled a little way up the valley in the 
afternoon, but the fog came far down the hill-sides, 
and we could see nought of the country, so we 
returned early to our mansion, of which a woodcut 
taken from a photograph appears on the title-page. 
This house was a fair specimen of an ordinary Cau- 
casian dwelling on the northern side of the chain. 
The morning of the next day, however, was, to 



START FOR THE GLACIER. 129 

our great astonishment, fine, so preparation was made 
for an early start. We knew that the head of the 
valley was filled by a glacier, and we determined to 
go to the foot of this, to find some sleeping-place 
among the rocks close to it, and to* devote next clay to 
exploring its upper fields. We thought that we should 
perhaps be able, after a preliminary survey, to ascend 
Tau Tetnuld, a great peak rising at the head of the 
glacier, whence the Urban or Western Tcherek flows, 
and to descend on the southern side of the chain into 
Suenetia, if only the weather were fair ; but as to this 
essential condition we had to hope strenuously, for the 
aneroid showed no recovery, though the sun was 
shining in a clear sky. The needle pointed low, as it 
had done for some time, and would not rise for the 
most cunning taps, but the barometer is now and then 
behind the weather and a prophet after the facts, so 
eacli man stated without the least believing it, that 
he was convinced the aneroid was a laggard this 
time ; and Walker, Gardiner, and I started up the 
barren valley, Moore taking as usual the most dis- 
agreeable work, and remaining behind to collect the 
provisions, which of course were not ready at the 
time for which they were promised. We wanted only 
bread for two days, but this, though ordered the day 
before, could not be got without a couple of hours' 
delay and a good deal of energetic remonstrance. The 
invisible princess did all she could to help us, but even 
she, excellent creature though she was, had no more 

K 



130 BEZINGI AND THE EOT CHAN TAU GROUP. 



idea of punctuality than the rest, and Paul and Moore 
had chafed sore before her loaves — very good ones 
by the way — came. 

While they were sending imploring messages, we 
walked slowly up the Bezingi valley, which certainly 
is, as Johnson said of the actor Sheridan, dull, very 
dull. Accustomed to the Alps, which are never with- 
out a certain beauty, it seemed strange to us to find, in 
the heart of the mountains, anything so ugly. Some 
minor peaks began to show, it is true, but the vale 
itself was hideous ; high monotonous walls of grass, 
broken here and there by dull crags ; no beauty of 
form ; very little variety of colour ; a general sameness 
and dreariness ; such are the characteristics of the val- 
ley of Bezingi, which, by a strange contradiction, leads 
to a mountain solitude of almost indescribable gran- 
deur. Of the glories which lay beyond this ugly 
trench we soon got some inkling. After about two 
hours' walk from the village, we came in sight of a 
mighty wall of snow cliffs at the head of a great 
glacier. This wall was in fact the main chain of the 
Caucasus, the barrier between Europe and Asia here 
suddenly disclosed. The glacier falls but very little 
in its course, so that nothing is visible between its end 
and the huge cliffs at its head. They rise as from the 
sea. 

We halted to look at the great wall, and while we 
were yet gazing Moore joined us, having with him 
Paul exhausted by much swearing at tardy villagers, 



EXCELLENT CAMPING PLACE. 



131 



and a gigantic fellow called Mohammed, who drove 
with much dignity two tiny donkeys, on which were 
our sleeping bags, and the provisions which it had 
taken so much trouble to get. Sure thus of some 
sort of cover for the night and of food — two things 
absolutely necessary even for the most zealous moun- 
taineer — we went contentedly on. There was much 
to observe round our path, for the traces of the gra- 
dual retreat of a great glacier up the valley were 
many and clear. I can best describe the upper part of 
it by saying that old moraine and moraine debris 
seemed entirely to cover its base. Some four hours 
from the village we reached a place from which the 
ice must have retreated at a comparatively recent 
time, the floor being here a desert of loose stones, 
through which we passed to the extremity of the 
glacier itself. This was the usual dirty stone-laden 
promontory of ice, in which these strange works of 
nature, so beautiful in their upper portions, are apt in- 
congruously to end. Round its base there was much 
debris. 

Our donkey-driver now proved a good and true 
man. He had said that he would take us to a place 
where we could camp for the night, and he led us over 
a mass of unstable stones, where his donkeys scrambled 
painfully along, to a spot on the left bank of the 
glacier close to its end, on arriving at which we re- 
joiced much, for it was indeed perfect for a bivouac, 
A little round dell, grass-grown, with a tiny waterfall 

K 2 



132 BEZINGI AND THE KOT CHAN TAU GROUP. 

dropping into it and sending a beautiful stream through 
it, surrounded by the most savage desolation, it seemed 
a sweet oasis in the mountain wilderness, It was ob- 
viously a regular resting-place for hunters, for in one 
part a wall of loose stones had been raised as some 
protection against the wind, and there were signs of 
recent encampment. Here we made things as com- 
fortable as we could — that is to say, we picked all the 
big stones out of the ground, so that we might have, as 
far as possible, the soft earth to lie on. Protection 
against the rain of course there was none, but in a 
mountain camp it was no small luxury to have a level 
surface on which to sleep. Opposite this camping 
place, on the other side of the great ice-stream, was a 
lateral glacier, and at the head of the ravine down 
w 7 hich this struggled rose Dych Tau, Now Dych 
Tau is a w r onderful mountain. The beautiful snow 
cone which forms the summit is, as has been said, cut 
away from the lower country by tremendous cliffs. 
These look all but absolutely vertical. Gullies and 
ledges may be found amongst them, but when seen 
from a distance they appear to rise as straight as a 
mainmast, and seem about as practicable for human 
beings as the shrouds of a mainmast might be for 
horses. At the head of the wild gorge down which 
the lateral glacier came, these gigantic precipices 
crowned by the graceful snow-cone were magnificent 
to look on, but we were not allowed to look on 
them long, for the jealous mist stole up from the 



THE URBAN GLACIER. 



133 



valley below and hid everything, so as there was 
nothing to see we worked until nightfall at picking the 
ground with our axes so as to bring it to a pleasant 
state of softness. The fine morning had not kept its 
promise, but the evening, which was foul, did. It 
rained and snowed during the night, and at 3.30 a.m., 
when we were to have started, the mist was as thick as 
a London fog. After two hours of darkness and 
damp things looked better, so we left the camp, 
getting at once on to the glacier, up which we struck 
a south-westerly course for the mountains at its head. 

The great Urban glacier, which we were now 
traversing, has its origin in the snowfields which lie 
under Tau Tetnuld and Kotchan Tau. These moun- 
tains, united by a vast curtain of cliff, which the natives 
call Djanga, are, roughly speaking, east and west 
of each other, Kotchan Tau being the easterly sum- 
mit. The ice-streams which descend on their northern 
sides, hemmed in for awhile by rocky barriers opposite 
the two great mountains, meet and unite under 
Djanga, forming the Urban glacier, which pours down 
through the wide valley opening opposite the great 
curtain of cliff. The course of this glacier is about 
N.N.E. and S.S.W., and is at right angles to that 
of the two parent ice-streams which meet under the 
mighty precipices of Djanga. We did not at the time 
when we started know anything of the sources of the 
Urban glacier, the map being vague and almost worth- 
less. The short description just given is drawn from 



134 BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAXI GROUP, 



what we discovered during the day ; but it was obvious 
from the first that, by ascending the glacier to its head., 
we should command the snowfields from which it is 
fed, and that, standing in the heart of the noblest 
mountain region in the Caucasus, we should be able to 
form some idea of the true position of Tau Tetnuld 
and of the mighty Kotchan Tau, perhaps even to see a 
way to the summit of one or both of these great peaks. 

To ascending the glacier therefore we addressed 
ourselves, and very easy work it was. Walking first 
of all on nearly level ice, we passed the wild ravine 
leading towards Dych Tau, a deep, gloomy gorge, with 
a precipitous col at the head of it, beyond which rose 
the huge crags of the mountain the third in height of 

ZD © O 

Caucasian peaks. After passing the ravine, our 
course lay for two hours along the nearly level glacier. 
There is no icefall, and the rise is very gentle, but as 
we went on we came to a maze of crevasses, so we 
got with small trouble on to the left bank, and after 
scrambling for awhile across the stony hill-side, came to 
a grass-grown moraine, along which we walked for a 
considerable distance, until, being near the head of the 
glacier, we descended on to the ice, now quite free 
from crevasses, and went on towards Djanga as over a 
high road. 

The glacier valley of which we had now traversed 
the greater part, belongs to the severest style of 
mountain grandeur ; on the left bank are some grass 
slopes, and then a huge wall of crag ; on the right is 



TAU TETNULD AND D JANG A. 



135 



unrelieved crag rising sharply from the glacier to a great 
height^ and surmounted by a bold and beautiful pin- 
nacle. Leaving this on our left, we passed, some four 
hours after leaving the sleeping-place, through the 
vast gap by which the Urban glacier flows forth, and 
stood presently under the heights of Djanga. 

The wonderful sight which we now looked on, I 
despair of being able in any degree to render in words. 
It was not merely the beauty and majesty of the great 
mountains which caused wonder and admiration ; it 
was even more, the utter wildness and strangeness of 
the valley over which they rose ; its complete unlike- 
ness to anything I had ever seen in the course of many 
years' wandering in the high Alps. It was indeed a 
mountain fastness, so secluded and so stern that it 
seemed not only as if man had never entered it, but as 
if man was never meant to enter or invade its beautiful 
but terrible solitude. 

To our right was Tau Tetnuld, a 6 tall pyramid 
with wedge sublime,' towering over a broad glacier 
which, in an undulating icefall, descended between it 
and a rocky barrier opposite. Uniting Tau Tetnuld 
to Kotchan Tau was the great curtain of Djanga, a 
vast wall of rock and snow, looking, as we stood in 
front of it, almost vertical. Of course it was not so, 
but standing there under its shadow, the cliffs seemed 
to rise with a marvellous abruptness, which was all the 
more striking that they sprang straight from the level 
glacier at their base, unbroken by slope or shoulder. 



136 BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GROUP. 



Literally it seemed as though a man standing on the 
glacier might put his hand against the wall which 
rbse straight some four or five thousand feet above 
him. 

At the end of this barrier, bearing S.E. from us, 
rose Kotchan Tau, highest after Elbruz of Caucasian 
peaks, and even as we were looking, the mist which 
had clothed the upper part of the mighty mountain 
cleared away, and it was revealed to us in all its grace 
and nobleness of form. Tier after tier of steepest 
escarped cliffs rose on its side, and above them w r as a 
fan-like ridge, so thin seemingly that its huge rock 
articulations looked to me from below like the delicate 
fibres and veins in a leaf. Above these was the crest 
of the mountain, a sharp arete marked by a series of 
gentle curves of great length covered with a new 
garment of fresh snow. Kotchan Tau shone with 
dazzling brightness under the eastern sun, and I think 
the eye of man could hardly rest on a more noble and 
beautiful' mountain than it looked on that summer 
morning. 

And will the master ever come for the virgin so 
clad in bridal array ? Is the great peak accessible ? 
Will cragsman ever stand on the highest point of that 
keen ridge and look down from it on lovely Suenetia 
on the one hand, and the wild Tcherkess country on 
the other ? Well, of mountains yet unattacked, as of 
ladies yet unwooed, it is exceedingly difficult to predict 
anything, but certainly going up Kotchan Tau will be 



KOTCHAN TAV. 



137 



no work for the timorous, or for those weak of limb or 
unsure of foot. From a col to the east of where we 
stood, to which snow slopes of small difficulty lead, 
rises the north-eastern arete of the mountain, for some 
distance not impracticable. This then could, with 
much step-cutting, be climbed up to a certain point, 
and a considerable height on the mountain reached, 
but the higher part of the arete is irregular and 
broken, looking altogether impossible for human feet, 
while the slopes below are of terrible steepness, the 
final ridge being also apparently of extraordinary diffi- 
culty. Owing to its gentle curves, it might be very 
hard for a man to know when he had reached the 
summit of the mountain. We certainly could see 
no way thither, but still ways have been found 
over places which, from below, seemed quite im- 
passable, and there are peaks in Switzerland now fre- 
quently ascended which, no very long time ago, were 
deemed altogether beyond the powers of man, so I am 
not prepared to say that, with two first-rate guides, a 
good mountaineer able to give plenty of time to the 
peak, willing to sleep out many nights, and to perse- 
vere after unsuccessful attempts, might not, if blessed 
with perfect weather, reach the summit of Kotchan 
Tau; provided always that he could get supplies of 
food sent up from the village, which he would find by 
no means a very simple or easy task. 

As to Tau Tetnuld, the case is different, There 
seems to be no reason why that mountain should not 



138 BE ZING I AND THE KOTCHAN TATJ GEO UP. 



be ascended, and very likely the ascent would prove to 
be of no excessive difficulty. An icefall, clearly 
practicable j which has been already mentioned, de- 
scends between the northern side of the mountain and 
the cliffs opposite. From the level glacier on which 
we stood this icefall could be reached with ease, and 
then threading a way among crevasses and seracs, the 
traveller could get to a col under the final peak of Tau 
Tetnuld. So far indeed the way is occasionally 
though rarely traversed, for the col marks a pass to 
Suenetia, which has been crossed at times by the 
hunters of Bezingi. From this col the top of Tet- 
nuld's cone could seemingly be reached, and a very 
fine peak Tau Tetnuld is, though from this side it 
hardly looks as fine as it should, for Kotchan Tau is 
such a much higher and grander mountain that poor 
Tetnuld is sadly dwarfed by the comparison. To 
ascend or attempt either of these peaks, it would be 
necessary to sleep out a good deal higher than we did, 
and for this we found a perfect place. Near the end 
of the grassy ridge which we traversed on the left 
bank of the Urban glacier is a beautiful little dell, 
much resembling that in which we camped lower 
down, being sheltered, as that is, from the wind,* and 
watered by a little torrent. 

The col which has been described as lying at the 
foot of the north-eastern arete of Kotchan Tau looks 
down on the further side on the great icefield of the 
Dych-Su glacier. Over the col a pass to this glacier 



BAD WEATHER AGAIN. 



139 



might probably be made, but Moore, who had seen the 
other side during his journey in 1868, was of opinion 
that the descent on to the Dych-Su would be far from 
easy. About N.N.E. of the col rises a nameless peak 
of great height, not marked in the Russian map, and 
beyond this is Dych Tau. We could not, however, 
see either of these peaks from the place we reached on 
the glacier, as they were hidden by intervening cliffs. 
We had intended to attempt the ascent of Tau Tet- 
nuld, and to pass into Suenetia. We could not have 
done so on the day I am now describing, as there was 
not time for more than a preliminary survey, but we 
meant, if there was any promise in the weather, and if 
we found a sleeping-place high up, to carry our little 
baggage up there, and thence to try pass and moun- 
tain. A camping-place we found, also there was 
promise in the weather, but it was promise of the 
wrong kind. While we were yet gazing on Kotchan 
Tau, the clouds, which had lifted for but a short 
space, again wrapped its noble summit, and behind us 
the mist was stealing slowly but steadily up the great 
Urban glacier, looking, as is often said of fog-banks at 
sea, like the side of a house. In a few minutes it was 
on us, and Tau Tetnuld, and Djanga, and mighty 
Kotchan Tau were hidden, to be seen no more by us 
save from afar. There was nothing for it but to get 
home, so in the vile half darkness we plodded our 
weary way back, going first by the grassy ridge, and 
then, as the crevassed part of the glacier could not be 



140 BEZINGI AND THE KOTCHAN TAU GROUP. 



passed in the fog, along the base of the moraine, over 
an abomination of loose stones. When we reached our 
resting-place, the weather seemed, and indeed was, 
hopeless. The mist was dense ; snow was beginning 
to come down, and the barometer had fallen greatly. 
It was obvious that in such weather as was coming 
one might as well go and delve in the crags for gold, 
as seek to go up an unknown peak, or over an un- 
known pass, so we came to the sad conclusion that it 
was reserved for more fortunate wanderers to occupy 
the further dell, and from it to ascend Tau Tetnuld, 
or, if very ambitious, to attempt Kotchan Tau and 
reach its top, or break their necks, as chance might 
befall. We determined to go back to Bezingi, and 
well that we did so, for the night was a savage one ; 
well also that we gave up our expedition, for it rained 
in the valleys and snowed in the mountains for the 
next four days. 

To Bezingi therefore we strode back through 
drenching rain, which, I am sorry to say, was the 
cause of harm to our excellent servant Paul, for, being 
wet through, he set to work to cook on arriving, 
without changing anything, and thereby got a cough 
which was troubling him much at the time when he 
left us. Our absence seemed to have sharpened the 
curiosity of the natives, who crowded round us won- 
dering as though they had never seen us before, and 
when the time came for going to sleep, there was con- 
siderable difficulty in getting rid of the good-tempered 



AN EVIL NIGHT. 



141 



but chattering and tiresome crowd. It was a wild 
night, with heavy rain and furious gusts of wind. We 
should have fared ill if we had stayed at our sleeping- 
place by the glacier. 



142 



CHAPTER V. 

TCHEGEM AND THE GORGE OF THE DJILKI-SU. 

Departure from Bezingi — The Invisible Princess — The Pass to Tchegem 
— Its Resemblance at one part to the Great Scheidegg — Striking 
View of the Entrance to a deep Gorge — A Friendly Chief — The 
Village of Tchegem — Reception there — The Chiefs informed of our 
probable arrival by General Loris Melikoff — Curiosity of the Men 
of Tchegem— Sketch of a Reception by a Caucasian Chief — Absence 
of any Attempt to obtain Gifts — The Gorge of the Djilki-Su — 
Bad Weather again — Capture of a live Bouquetin — A Man of Gebi 
— Conversation with an aggrieved Caucasian — Doubt as to there 
being just Cause for Complaint. 

Early on the morning of the next day (July 19th), 
we bade farewell to Bezingi. The princess of course 
remained invisible. A man leaving an English county 
house, of which the hostess was in bed, would not 
startle British propriety more by proposing to go up- 
stairs to say good-bye to her, than we should have 
offended against decorum if we had said that we should 
like to thank the princess ourselves. Such a thing could 
not be, but funnily enough, though she could not see 
us, she could see our servant, so Paul went on an 
embassy to her, paid her for our entertainment in the 
manner which will be described later on, and presented 
her with what seemed the very inappropriate gift of an 



THE PASS TO TCHEGEM. 



143 



eight-bladed knife. We had nothing else to give her, 
and I am glad to say that the good matron was de- 
lighted. She had never seen such a thing before, and 
showed it immediately to the younger wife, who felt 
and expressed the same pleasure as an English lady 
would who saw her step-sister very much better dressed 
than herself. So primitive are the people of Bezingi 
that this knife was a great success. The brother of 
the chiefs who saw it before it was given, took Paul 
aside to tell him that there was no occasion to pay any- 
thing to his sister-in-law, but that it would be quite 
enough if we would give him a similar knife. As he 
had done nothing whatever for us, we did not fall in 
with this considerate view, but we were truly glad to 
please the invisible princess who had indeed been an 
excellent hostess, showing in her poor village, and from 
her mud hut of a house, the true spirit of the noble 
Mohammedan hospitality of which the tradition is not 
yet pale among this simple and kindly race. 

Leaving Bezingi, we struck up the left bank of the 
valley, getting glimpses of some parts of it to the north, 
which seemed much finer than the dull banks which 
rise above the village. After walking over easy grass 
slopes for about an hour and a half, we came in sight 
of the highest point of the pass to the adjoining valley 
of Tchegem, for which we were now bound, and were 
much struck by the resemblance of this part of the way 
to the great Scheidegg, as seen from the slopes above 
Grindelwald. The mighty cliffs of the Wetterhorn, it 



144 T CHE GEM AND THE DJILKI-SU GORGE. 



is true, were wanting. So were the 33umerous can tines 
of the Swiss route. The Caucasians are a benighted 
and abstemious race, content with a moderate amount 
of food, and allowing long intervals between their 
meals. I wished much, as our way brought the well- 
known pass to my mind, that I could have transported 
one of the Bezingi men thither, and shown the igno- 
rant shepherd how, where advanced civilisation prevails, 
men are expected, indeed urgently begged, to eat and 
drink ten times in the course of a two hours' walk. 

That jackal-like dogs endeavoured to cut off the 
stragglers of the party ; that the rain came down in 
torrents; that, when we reached the top of the pass, 
we were enveloped in dense mist, were things natural 
and to be anticipated. We bore them with philo- 
sophy — that is to say, we grumbled and swore with 
the secret underlying pleasure which an Englishman 
always feels at having something to grumble and 
swear about ; but our repining was soon silenced, for 
descending a little, and getting out of the mist, we 
looked on a strange, weird country, quite unlike any 
we had ever seen in previous travel. Before us was 
a wide valley making a large sweep just opposite 
the place where we stood, and trending away to- 
wards the south-west. Then, at the part where the 
turn began, there was on the further side of this valley 
a great opening in its side, a vast portal of tremen- 
dous cliffs, beyond which lay a deep, mysterious gorge, 
very sombre from its narrowness and from the great 



A DEEP GORGE. 



145 



height of its precipitous sides. We could trace this vast 
gloomy ravine far back among the hills. Anything so 
strange as the entrance to it no man of us had ever seen, 
and I can only compare it to one of those weird moun- 
tain recesses which Dore has imagined; indeed, looking 
at that strange gateway, it seemed easy for once to be- 
lieve in the supernatural. Those huge portals might 
have been opened by some mighty spell, and in that 
gloomy gorge running into the heart of the mountains 
surely there might be dragons or great serpents crawl- 
ing in dark recesses where the sun never came ; some 
unholy mystery at the end ; an enchanted castle, or a 
warlock's haunt. At the foot of this great opening in 
the valley-side lies the village of Tchegem, which, how- 
ever, we could not see for some time, it being hidden 
by rising ground in front of us. On our right, as we 
descended, rose a noble limestone precipice, in front 
of which the eagles were flying to and fro, and we 
seemed to excite the curiosity of one huge bird, for he 
flitted over our heads for a time with perfect and, I 
am bound to say, justifiable contempt for the revolver 
shots which we fired at him. Before getting to Tche- 
gem we had to pass another village standing on the 
rio;ht bank of the lateral valley we were descending. 
The inhabitants stared at us with their usual intense 
but good-tempered curiosity, and a handsome, well- 
dressed horseman rode up to Gardiner and myself, who 
were lagging behind the others, and made us a long 
speech, which I doubt not was amicable. Of course 

L 



146 



T CHE GEM AND THE DJILKI-STT. 



we could not understand a word of it, and Paul was 
some distance ahead, so I adopted the course I had 
before once or twice followed under similar circum- 
stances, and replied to him at some length in English. 
He listened with great attention, then with many 
smiles shook us both warmly by the hand and 
galloped away. They are a friendly race. 

Getting down to the base of the great valley we 
saw Tchegem, which is situated at the end of the 
gorge on the north bank of the stream running through 
it. A great cliff rises above the village, and it would 
be difficult perhaps for the traveller to find a sight 
more striking than this group of houses clustered on 
the barren slope at the mouth of that strange ravine 
with the towering cliffs above them. Most genial was 
our reception. The authorities at Tiflis, with the 
consideration which they showed in everything, had 
written to General Loris-Melikoff, the Governor of 
Vladikafkaz, requesting him to give us all aid, and he 
had taken the trouble to send word to Tchegem that 
we were to be well treated, an act of kindness on his 
part which it would be difficult to acknowlege too 
warmly, and for which, to our great regret, we had no 
opportunity of thanking him. A small squadron of 
boys, who had apparently taken on themselves the 
office of scouts, came out from the village and escorted 
us in. On arriving we found a crowd already assem- 
bled, from which two handsome fellows stepped forth 
and bade us welcome. They were two of the chiefs 



NATIVE CURIOSITY. 



147 



of Tchegem, which was governed apparently by a 
triumvirate of three brothers, the eldest and most 
important of whom was, we were informed, absent; but 
we missed him not, for the two younger ones did the 
honours of their village with much grace and hospi- 
tality. We were shown into the house got ready for 
us, which was of sufficient dignity to have a courtyard, 
in front of it. Into both poured the crowd after us, 
and we found that in the matter of curiosity the in- 
habitants of Tchegem were in no degree behind those 
of Kunim or Bezingi. Something superior to the men 
of both those places they seemed to us in face and 
stature. I do not think I have ever seen so many 
handsome and stalwart fellows together as those who 
were looking at us with more than a schoolboy's 
curiosity. So anxious were they to see everything, 
that not only dM they fill the room, but even the 
little window was packed with the heads of grave and 
bearded Mussulmen. Although they were perfectly 
good-tempered, it must be said that this persistent 
curiosity, allowing one no respite from the public 
gaze, was irritating, and I was inwardly cursing the 
inquisitiveness of the villagers when an idea occurred 
to me which made me hesitate and doubt whether I 
had any right whatever to be angry. If the case were 
reversed, I thought. If a Caucasian chief in the 
national costume — to wit, a long robe with silver car- 
touche cases on the breast, a great lambswool cap, a 
huge poniard hanging from his belt, leggings and 

L 2 



148 



t che gem: and the djilki-su. 



mocassins— were to ride suddenly one evening into a 
Surrey village and seek lodging there, what sort of 
treatment would he receive from the boors who would 
probably be assembled at the public-house door ? At 
first they would most likely be silent from a dull asto- 
nishment. After a short time they would begin heavy 
chaff and jokes with each other about the stranger, 
whom they would designate by the foulest words known 
to the English language. In a short time more the chaff 
would he addressed to him, and as he would certainly 
be utterly bewildered by it, indignation would be 
roused, and the coarsest insults would follow. In 
the end, the unhappy Caucasian would probably be 
subjected to some horseplay, and possibly even be 
well thrashed, on the simple ground that he w r as quite 
unlike any one whom the villagers had ever seen 
before. In some places in the North of England he 
might be half kicked to death. Now these things 
might happen in our own dear land — it is not long 
since some men riding bicycles through an English 
village were pelted with big stones by the inhabitants 
' — and reflection, therefore, went far to reconcile me to 
the keen and abiding curiosity of the good-tempered 
Caucasians. 

After we had waited some time, tea and cakes, the 
certain first-offering of a chief's hospitality, appeared, 
and here perhaps may be given a slight sketch of the 
reception and treatment of travellers in a village of the 
north-western Caucasus. 



RECEPTION BY A CHIEF. 



149 



They were received by the chief, to whom they 
present the general order obtained from the Russian 
authorities, which renders it obligatory on him to give 
them all reasonable aid. His own sense of hospitality 
will cause him to construe this in a liberal sense, and 
the strangers forthwith find themselves in the pleasant 
position of honoured guests. After a short delay they 
are shown into a house which is set apart for them 
during their stay, or perhaps, though this is less likely, 
into a room in the chief's own dwelling. Then, after a 
much longer delay, which is only natural considering the 
limited resources of the host, a servant appears bearing 
the huge samovar, a teapot, loaf sugar, and small cakes 
made from brown flour which are often excellentc 
But the tea and the white sugar are real luxuries. It 
need hardly be said that they are not to be bought in 
these remote villages, only a very small stock being 
possessed by the well-to-do inhabitants, and the chief 
when he bestows these things on his guests is doing 
quite as liberal a thing as the Englishman who has up 
from his cellar his best and most costly dry cham- 
pagne. The chief will most likely be present at this 
preliminary eating and drinking, standing in the pre- 
sence of his guests, and, in accordance with the stately 
spirit of Oriental courtesy, declining to be seated 
unless much pressed. Afternoon tea over he with- 
draws, that is to say, withdraws as host, but he will 
very likely return almost immediately as a private 
spectator. ]S T ow comes a pause, a very long pause. 



150 



T CHE GEM AND THE JDJILKI-SU. 



during which the travellers write their notes, clean 
their arms, discuss what shall be done next day, specu- 
late as to the weather, do anything in fact to get 
through the time, growing at last wofully hungry in 
spite of the tea and cakes, and beginning to doubt 
whether any dinner is coming, and whether it w r ould 
not be best to roll themselves up and 6 take it out in 
sleep.' But just as they are getting quite famished 
and hopeless a blessed sight appears. There enters a 
servant bearing a small, three-legged table, very like 
what the English upholsterers beautifully call an 
' occasional ' table. It has already served for the tea 
and cakes, but now bears a much more substantial 
load. When the cloth, which is laid over the dinner, 
not under it, as in the West, has been taken off, there 
appears the greater part of a sheep boiled, and neatly 
arranged on flat loaves. Very likely there is served 
with it a kind of mutton broth. Well cared for thus, 
the travellers fall to, and when they have done, their 
servants, joined for good-fellowship's sake by the 
servants of the chief, may be relied on to finish every 
scrap that remains. Mattresses and coverings are 
then sent in by the host, who probably comes to say 
good-night, and the guests go to sleep, so far as seems 
good to the village dogs, and to the insects, inevitable 
bedfellows. 

Alter the the dhonneur was over on this evening, 
we let the curiosity of the villagers have full swing, 
and it really seemed to surpass even that of the 



NO GIFTS DEMANDED. 



151 



people of Bezingi. They handled everything they 
could, and talked over each object with infinite volu- 
bility. Aneroid, revolvers, watches, telescopes, all 
excited the most intense interest, and yet with some of 
these things they must have been acquainted, for the 
place is now and then visited by Russian officers, and 
men from the village go sometimes to the Russian post 
at Vladikaf kaz. As to revolvers, indeed, the youngest 
chief carried a small one in his belt. Nevertheless, I 
do not think that in Central Africa the inhabitants 
could have shown more curiosity ; but with all this 
inquisitiveness, which made them almost take the 
things out of our hands to examine them, these singular 
people were not wanting in dignity, or in the feeling of 
what was due to strangers. They pawed everything 
we would let them paw, but they asked for nothing ; 
and so we found it in other places. During the whole 
of our journey on the northern side, I do not recollect 
a single instance of a Caucasian's asking for any of the 
things we carried with us. As for stealing from us, I do 
not believe that such an idea ever entered their heads. 

Rain fell during the night, and the morning was 
dull and threatening with heavy mists hanging over 
the hills. We determined to give up the day to ex- 
ploring the great gorge, now darker than ever under 
the lowering sky, and started early in the forenoon, 
following a slightly marked track on the left bank of 
the stream. It was certainly a wonderful defile. At 
first the limestone cliffs on our right, that is, on the 



152 T CHE GEM AND THE DJILKI-SU. 



northern side of the gorge, were all but absolutely 
vertical, and further on the sides of the ravine, though 
sloping enough to allow of vegetation, were marvel- 
lously steep. The stream which flowed along the 
base was small, but of great beauty, and sprang, 
the natives had told us, from a glacier at the head of 
the ravine. The rivulet is called the Djiiki-Su, and 
gives its name to the great gorge, of which Walker 
took a photograph from a point a little above Tchegem. 
From this photograph the engraving on the opposite 
page has been taken. We had hoped to explore the 
whole of the huge cleft and reach the glacier of which 
the natives had spoken, but we soon found that 
there was no possibility of our seeing anything if we 
did so, for the mist gathered over the ridges on each 
side, and then came steadily down until it seemed like 
a roof over our heads. There was no chance of its 
lifting that dav. 

Shepherds or hunters had made the faint track, 
which sometimes rose a little on the steep slope, some- 
times ran by the stream. After following this line for 
some time, we came to a rough bridge spanning the 
little torrent at a place of singular wildness and 
beauty. About a hundred yards higher up there was a 
turn in the gorge, and just at this point we saw a 
young bouquetin feeding on a tiny bit of level ground 
at the foot of the cliffs on the left bank of the stream. 
Paul is not a hunter, never having had the opportunity 
of becoming one, but he has all a hunters' inbtinct, and 



CAPTURE OF A BOUQUETIN, 



153 



he was off in an instant, rushing alono; the right bank, 
under cover of brushwood, to head the animal. This 
he did, and dashed across the rivulet just above the 
bouquetin, who immediately turned to go down 
stream, but seeing me on the bridge, where I had 
mounted guard with my revolver, and having no 
means of knowing that with the said revolver I should 
certainly have missed him, hesitated for a moment, 
looked at the cliffs on the left bank which were clearly 
impossible even for a bouquetin, and then at those 
on the right, by which he could certainly have got 
away if only he could have found courage to cross the 
rivulet, but this, strange to say, he would not do, 
though at that point the stream was shallow enough. 
Twice he looked at it ; twice, like a horse bad at 
water, refused ; then tried to scramble up between 
Paul and the left bank, but Paul promptly knocked 
him over with a big stick, and then grappled him by 
the horns. The bouquetin struggled desperately, as 
well he mighty but the Mingrelian was not to be 
shaken off, and Peter Knubel shortly coming up, the 
two bound the hapless beast. 

Now a bouquetin is a sufficiently difficult animal 
to kill with a good rifle after a long and wary stalk, but 
to catch a bouquetin alive is certainly not an every-day 
performance, and there was reason, I think, for some 
little exultation. The abominable state of the weather 
made it useless to ascend the gorge any further, as we 
could have seen nothing, so we determined to go back 



154 T CHE GEM AND THE DJILKI-SU. 



to Tchegeni with the captured animal. We returned 
thither accordingly, our two men alternately carrying 
the beasts and as I observed what hard work it was 
for them, I wondered greatly how a man who is fortu- 
nate enough to kill a full-grown bouquetin manages to 
bring it back from a long distance, and over places of 
real difficulty, perhaps of danger. It must test to the 
utmost mountaineering skill and strength. We left 
the gorge with 2: re at regret at not having been able 
better to explore it. Although there is a track and a 
bridge over the stream, the fact that a bouquetin was 
feeding so low down, shows how rarely men penetrate 
the great ravine. 

We had thought it impossible for the sons of 
Tchegem together assembled to talk more than they 
had done the night before; but we were mistaken. 
The bouquetin — and they were much astonished at 
our having got him alive — excited even greater volu- 
bility than that of the previous evening, and as this 
became rather tiresome, and as, moreover, each man 
considered himself entitled to examine, in his own way, 
the unhappy brute, we thought it best to decree his 
execution rather than let him be gradually done to 
death by the curious. His throat was accordingly cut, 
and I was much struck by the wonderfully bright 
colour of the blood ; also by the vigorous circulation 
which these animals possess. From an artery in the 
throat the blood jetted to a distance of more than ten 
feet. Of course we should much have liked to have 
kept the poor bouquetin alive, and taken him with us, 



A MAN OF GEBL 



155 



but with the long journey we still had before us that 
was obviously an impossibility. A man from Gebi, 
however — of course there was one in the village — put 
us to shame, for when the animal w T as dead he stepped 
forward and said that he would have given ten roubles 
for it to take back alive to his village. Now, as he 
had just watched the killing of the poor beast with 
amusement and complacency, there was a naked auda- 
city in this statement which much increased my respect 
for the lights of the men of Gebi. 

There appeared this afternoon the eldest brother of 
the three, principal chief of the village, a splendid 
fellow, some six feet three or four high, and singularly 
handsome, save that he was marked with the small- 
pox. We noticed this disfigurement in a large proportion 
of the inhabitants of Tchegem. In the evening we 
dallied with a 6 trifling foolish banquet ' of a whole 
sheep, enlivened by a discussion which was of some 
interest, though, like most discussions, it did not 
change opinion. Moore maintained, somewhere about 
the period of the fourth or fifth chop, that the great 
drawback to mountain excursions was the habit of 
eating to which men are prone ; that by energy, 
perseverance, and self-denial, it would be possible to 
subdue, ultimately perhaps almost to get rid of this 
failing, and that in time a man might walk over 
glacier and mountain undisturbed by the craving for 
food which adherence to a vicious practice causes most 
people to feel. I maintained the opposite of this, and 
though I did not succeed in convincing Moore, I am 



156 TCHEGEM AND THE LJILKI-SU. 



glad in the interest of mountaineers to say that the 
invaluable ex- Secretary of the Alpine Club has not 
yet attempted to put his views in practice, resembling 
in this manner of treating his doctrine some eminent 
people of our time who have contented themselves 
with preaching moral excellence. 

We had some interesting talk during the evening 
with a very pleasant and intelligent Caucasian, who 
was, like ourselves, on his travels, for he was merely 
passing through Tchegem, to which village he did not 
belong ; indeed, it was not known to our hosts, the 
chiefs, of what district he was. He began by asking 
us if we could tell him to whom ought to be attributed 
some curious steps in the rocks, and some caves, 
partly artificial, which he had been told were to be 
found in the neighbourhood, for, he said, — c The fore- 
fathers of the men of Tchegem did not make these. 
They are the work of some people who before in- 
habited this country. Can you, who are more learned 
than I am, tell me who these people were ? '' We gave 
him such faint sketch as was possible of prehistoric 
man, and he then talked to us for some time about our 
journey, the state of the country, and so forth. Pre- 
sently there was an interesting conversation between 
him and one of our party, who, I should say, leaned to 
conservative view^s. 

Said the Englishman — Are you and the people 
about you content with the Russian Government? 
Does it treat you well ? 



AN AGGRIEVED CAUCASIAN. 



157 



The Caucasian.— No, it does not. The Russian 
Government does not deal justly with us. It is now 
confiscating much of the property of the proprietors 
(he v^as speaking, of course, of the native aristocracy), 
and in its conduct towards them does not, having 
strength on its side, consider what is fair. But this 
is indeed to be expected, for the Russian Government 
is a bad sort of government. Everything depends on 
one man, and one man all alone is very likely to make 
mistakes. How can he know all about the people he 
rules when they are of many races ? Now with you it 
is different. You are governed by a great council (I 
wonder how on earth he knew this), and a great 
council of many men is not so likely to make a mistake 
as one man. Then they will know better what is 
right for different parts of the country. 

The Englishman (carried aw T ay for the moment by 
Tory feeling). — Not always, by any means. Parliament 
may sometimes be very bad. The last Parliament w T e 
had wanted to change everything that was established 
in the land. 

The Caucasian. — I cannot tell about that; but 
this I say, that a council of many men is less likely to 
make mistakes than one man alone, who may err 
grossly at any moment (and here, I think, the chief 
had the best of it). The Russian Government does 
not respect the rights men have hitherto had. There 
are some in constant dread of having their property 
confiscated. There is Prince Ismail of Urusbieh. 



158 



TORE GUM AND THE DJILKI-SU. 



He has a great forest which has always belonged to 
his family. The Government is going to confiscate 
that j which surely is as unjust as anything can be. He 
is now at Vladikafkaz seeking to prevent this. I say 
that the rights which men in a country have always 
possessed should be respected by the Government, and 
the Russian Government does not respect ours. For- 
merly we had slaves of our own who did our work for 
nothing ; now this is not allowed, and we have to pay 
men to work for us. 

This was a sad falling off. The Caucasian had 
seemed at first to speak like a respectable Liberal, 
pointing out the essential vice of a despotic govern- 
ment, and here he was lamenting the abolition of 
slavery. I wish his views had been more symmetrical 
and consistent, because then he would have presented 
a much prettier picture of an intelligent and liberal 
native aristocrat ; but I give his words as they were 
translated to me. 

Whether there was any truth in the charges of 
injustice and confiscation which he made against the 
Russian Government, I had no means of judging. In 
all countries complaints against rulers are made, and 
are generally stronger when the rulers are of alien 
race. Certainly, if the inhabitants of the northern 
side of the chain are in any way oppressed, the op- 
pression must be marvellously concealed, for during 
the whole time we were in the valleys no Russians 
did we see, save two young officers who came from 



CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT DOUBTFUL. 



159 



Patigorsk expressly to join us on an expedition, a 
Colon el j who happened to be passing through Utch- 
kulan, and a poor fellow, clerk to a native chief of 
the same place. So far as I could judge, the villagers 
were let alone as much as any men could possibly 
desire to be, living, I should say, precisely after trre 
fashion of their forefathers, and in nowise hindered 
from so doing. Taxation seemed to be very light. 
The Caucasian who complained admitted that all they 
had to pay was a house-tax, so moderate as not to 
press hard on any one. They also have to keep the 
paths in order, but this surely it would be advisable 
for them to do under any circumstances. As to inter- 
ference with their religion, I should have great 
difficulty in believing that anything of the kind is 
attempted. Each village had its priest, who, we were 
told, said prayers at certain times. The inhabitants 
never attended, but of course they could have done so 
if they had liked. The Greek Church is usually sup- 
posed not to seek proselytes, and certainly, if it has any 
missionaries in the northern valleys, they must surpass 
even the famous missionaries of the Roman Catholic 
Church in the skill with which they make themselves 
like unto the natives. 

As to confiscating the property of the chiefs, no 
doubt, if the Russian authorities are doing such a 
thing, they are perpetrating a great injustice. It 
would be as iniquitous as it would be impolitic to take 
the estates of men not guilty of any offence, and not 



160 T CHE GEM AND THE EJILKI-SU. 



disaffected to the Government, but it is hardly necessary 
to say that the statement of this one man could not 
for a moment be considered as proving that any such 
measures were being carried out or contemplated. The 
questions which arise respecting the tenure of land 
where the rulers and the ruled are of different races, 
and have inherited utterly different laws and traditions, 
are of great difficulty, as has often enough been found 
in India, and it is quite possible that a Caucasian 
might regard as confiscation what to a man from the 
West might seem merely a stringent but necessary 
law. There was certainly some question pending 
between the Government and the princes of Urusbieh, 
as we found when we visited that village ; but so far as 
we could make out, the Government was only enforcing 
some measure to prevent the unlimited felling of trees 
which is o-oino; on in the few forests now remaining in 
the Northern Caucasus. To a Caucasian such a pro- 
ceeding w 7 ould very likely appear to be confiscation. 
I have recorded the conversation -with the aowieved 
man because there was, as it seemed to me, consider- 
able interest in hearing what an intelligent native had 
to say of the Government under which he lived. As I 
have already said, I could form no judgment on the 
justice of his complaints. In some other instances we 
saw evidence of a certain discontent w T ith the Govern- 
ment, but it would be the height of vanity for a 
traveller, on the strength of a rapid journey through 
part of the Caucasus, and of conversations necessarily 



LAW OF MILITARY SERVICE. 



161 



conducted through an interpreter^ to give an opinion 
on the difficult questions which must arise between the 
Russians and the mountain tribes. It should be re- 
membered that at the time of which I am speaking the 
law of universal military service was not enforced in 
the Caucasus. Should it be applied there^ it is possible 
that the Caucasians may have very real and grave 
causes for discontent. 



M 



162 



CHAPTER VI. 

PASS FROM TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 
ALPINE AND CAUCASIAN SCENERY. 

Start from Tchegem — Position of a Chief's Ghiests in the Caucasus — 
Character of the Country traversed after leaving the Tchegem Valley 
— Comparison between Alpine and Caucasian Scenery — A Farm- 
house—Inquisitive Wayfarers — The Top of the Pass —The Koanta 
Glen — The Valley of the Baksan — Osrokova — Difficulty of getting 
'Food and Lodging — Eloquence of the Man of Gebi. 

There was some faint promise of fine weather the 
next morning (July 21), and being ready soon after 
daybreak we said good-bye to the pleasant chiefs of 
Tchegem, and had to go through the rather delicate 
business of paying them for their good cheer. The 
lodging and food provided by the chief in a northern 
village, are, in accordance with Mohammedan ideas, 
supposed to be freely given. The chief is a friend and 
host, not a landlord, and would not think for a moment 
of demanding money from the man he has entertained, 
who might go away without paying anything whatever 
if he were mean enough to do so. I hope I need not 
•say that we never allowed the chiefs to be losers by 
their good treatment of am, but there was always a 



A CHIEF'S GUESTS. 



163 



slight hesitation on their part about receiving money. 
TTe estimated in each case what we had cost the head 
of the village, and then proffered him a sum rather 
above the amount. This offer was usually met by a 
courteous assurance that no payment was necessary, 
and that evervthino; had been freelv given, not sold. 
We answered this by a request that, as a favour to 
ourselves, the money might be taken, and it was then 
pocketed without more ado. I believe that some 
present was always expected ; in fact, it could hardly 
be otherwise ; for why should these men provide 
gratuitously for utter strangers ? But I am not sure 
that the chiefs were always best pleased with money, 
although they took it. Some gift which would have 
made the transaction seem rather less mercantile 
would, I think, have gratified them more. Having 
nothing else, however, money we always gave. After 
quitting the village our way lay down the Tchegem 
valley, which is not without a certain beauty, though 
rather monotonous from that absence of trees which 
characterizes so much of the Northern Caucasus. 
Some two or three hours from the village the vallev 
opens into a greater one, and here we struck towards 
the north-west, our path lying through wild and grand 
country, very strange to our eyes ; on the south, a 
great wall of limestone cliffs; to the north, vast 
rolling slopes of grass, and beyond them huge ridges, 
covered from base to crest by the like unchanging 
mantle, rising above sombre valleys. Same in colour, 

M 2 



164 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



of no great beauty of form, this wilderness of grass- 
covered slopes is nevertheless of much grandeur, and 
possesses a stamp and character of its own which make 
it different altogether from those mountain countries 
which most Englishmen know. The mind naturally 
seeks some standard of comparison, and during our 
journey through the chain we constantly sought to 
compare what we saw with the Alps, but only to feel 
more completely the unlikeness of the hills and valleys 
we were traversing to those where we had wandered so 
often. The Caucasus indeed is not as Switzerland is. 
Whether more or less beautiful, it is different from the 
Alpine chain ; as different, if it may be permitted to 
compare mountains to human beings, as are the Cau- 
casian hunters and shepherds from the peasants of the 
Valais or the Oberland. 

But is it more or less beautiful ? Which region is 
the noblest ? Which leaves the deepest impression on 
the mind? One country, however different from ano- 
ther, must either exceed it or fall below it in beauty, 
after all ; and mountain districts necessarily have 
much in common which makes a comparison between 
them possible. Is then the Caucasus on the whole 
finer than Switzerland, or is it not ? Such questions 
would be naturally put by any one who cared for 
mountains. Perhaps, before trying to answer, I may 
be allowed to give an instance showing the difficulty of 
judging even man's work. 

The Venus of Milo has long been admired as one 



CRITICAL JUDGMENT. 



165 



of the very few works of a good period of Greek art 
which has come down to us. Critics have examined, 
discussed, extolled it. explained it to the throng, proved 
to their own satisfaction the precise position of the 
missing arms, made it the subject of careful scrutiny 
and of much disquisition. It might well be thought 
that it had been fully appreciated, and that the ex- 
amination of it had been exhaustive. 

And what was the fact ? When the statue was 
brought back to its place in the Louvre, after having 
been concealed during the siege of Paris, it was 
found that, owing to the clumsiness of the men who 
set it up on its first arrival in France, the two blocks 
of marble of which it is composed had not been pro- 
perly joined, and that consequently it had been thrown 
out of its proper line, and a cant given to the body 
above the waist, at variance alike with truth to nature 
and with the intention of the sculptor who fashioned 
the work. And this elementary fault had remained 
undiscovered. Critics had been ready to explain what 
must have been the position of the lost arms, had ob- 
served a slight difference between the two sides of the 
face, but not one had detected this gross, it might 
almost be thought, this palpable error. Now when it 
is found that a coarse mistake of this kind has escaped 
the observation of those whose faculties were supposed 
to be the keenest and the most highly trained, that 
men who were giving opinions on all that is most 
subtle and delicate in the treatment of a figure, had 



166 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



failed to see this vital flaw, it is perhaps no unfair 
inference that critical judgment in matters of beauty is 
but a poor, weak thing at best, possessing by no means 
the value usually given to it, and that certainty in 
deciding on things beautiful is so far from being at- 
tainable, even by the most cultivated, that they are 
liable at any moment to make quite childish blunders. 
But if there be ground for thinking critical judgment 
of little worth when the limited and comparatively 
simple work of men's hands has to be considered, how 
much weight can be given to it in any attempt to 
decide on the infinite glories of nature ? Is it of much 
avail to try to rate and define the manifold beauties of 
mountain, glacier, and valley, and say which of two 
great regions is the fairest ? Is not the task too 
difficult, perhaps impossible ? I believe that the more 
a man studies nature, the less he will feel inclined to 
speak dogmatically of the beauty of one country as 
compared with another. Each may have produced a 
deep and lasting impression on him, but he cannot 
mark the points which admiration for them should 
reach, as an engineer marks the pressure of steam. 
We are not yet able to appraise beauty. 

If, then, I make any attempt shortly to compare 
the Northern Caucasus with Switzerland, I do so with 
the feeling that such a comparison would be worth 
little, even if made by one gifted with rare powers of 
observation, and that from a mere ordinary traveller 
its value must be small indeed : but those who are 



ALPINE AND CAUCASIAN SCENERY, 



167 



likely to be most interested in the Caucasus are those 
who already know and love Switzerland, and they may 
naturally ask which country is the grander and the 
more striking ; whether by going to the Caucasus a 
man sees things beyond aught he can find between 
Lake Leman and the Ortler Spitz; mountains more 
abrupt than the Matterhorn, or more beautiful than 
the Jungfrau ; valleys more varied or impressive than 
the Saas Thai or the Val d'Anniviers. With a strong 
sense of the worthlessness of any answer I can give, I 
will endeavour to reply. Of course it is necessary 
liere, as in other parts of the book, to speak positively, 
as it would be wearisome to fence every statement 
with an expression of distrust. 

The part of the Caucasus which we were traversing 
is that in which the highest and noblest peaks rise, and 
the comparison should be made between the northern 
side of this portion of the range and Switzerland. 
The southern side should be contrasted with or 
likened to the southern valleys of the Alps. With 
regard then to the northern side of the chain, it may 
be briefly said that the valley scenery is inferior both 
in beauty and variety to that of Switzerland, but that, 
on the other hand, the snow mountains are grander 
and more striking than those of the Alpine range. 
The Caucasian valleys indeed are often dull, some- 
times exceedingly ugly. A description has already 
been given of the lower portion of the valley of the 
Tcherek, and of the vale of Bezingi, Scarcely more 



168 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



pleasing to the eye than either of these is the country 
through which for a considerable distance the Baksan 
flows, and the valley of the Kuban below Utchkulan 
is only remarkable for its size. There is generally 
great monotony of colour, sometimes poverty of form ; 
but it is the want of forests which most dulls the 
Northern Caucasus. There are pine woods, it is true, 
but they are usually just under the mountains, and are 
few and small for so mighty a hill country. The great 
valleys and high ridges are often bare of trees, and it 
is not till a man has travelled in a land thus naked 
that he knows how much of the beauty of the mountain 
region below glacier and snow is due to the woodland, 
or how deadening to hill and dale the absence of it may 
be. Too often no forests clothe the sides of those 
great, blank ridges, and if any one would realise what 
this vacancy is, let him try to conceive what the fairest 
Swiss valley would be without those pines which come 
down to the water's edge and stretch far up on distant 
slopes, which spring from narrow ledges, crown the 
brows of great crags, and find holding ground even on 
the boulders which have rolled down from above, 
being, indeed, a part so essential of mountain beauty 
that scarcely an Alpine scene can be called to memory 
without the recollection of those forests which girdle 
the everlasting hills. 

In Caucasian valleys, often very impressive, but 
generally grim, the traveller, generally speaking, does 
not find rock, wood, and stream yielding a series of 



ALPINE AND CAUCASIAN SCENERY. 169 



entrancing pictures, as in the more favoured Swiss 
vales. The Caucasian scenery is less varied and more 
harsh, though owing to the vast scale on which the 
country is moulded it is sometimes of impressive 
grandeur. There is nothing in Switzerland so striking 
as Tchegem. In its upper part the valley of the 
Tcherek is more imposing than any in the Alps ; but 
in colour, in softness, in varied beauty, in those things 
which men love, and come back year after year to gaze 
on, the valleys of the Northern Caucasus are inferior 
to those of Switzerland, and would not, I believe, if 
they were equally easy to reach, be cared for as the 
latter are. 

As to the southern side of the chain, it is probably 
otherwise. I saw so little of it that I cannot speak 
with any authority, but, from what I did look on, I 
should say that even the Italian valleys of the Alps are 
not of such prodigal and gorgeous richness as some 
parts of the South Caucasus. Those who have been 
in Suenetia describe it as a paradise — inhabited un- 
fortunately by demons, but that is nought to the 
present purpose ; and in the western province of 
Abkhasia I saw, at the end of our journey, scenes of 
beauty surpassing to my mind anything I had ever 
before beheld. The wonderful vegetation of the 
southern slopes is beyond that of the Italian side of 
the Alps, and generally nature seems to have worked 
in a larger and grander fashion. I believe that future 
travellers will say that the valleys of Suenetia and 



170 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



Abkliasia transcend even those on the southern side of 
Monte Rosa. 

The huge snow-peaks which rise between these 
luxuriant slopes and the stern northern country, are 
nobler than those of the Alps. In the first place they 
are greater, and their size is made appreciable by 
the wonderful steepness, which is the main charac- 
teristic of the chain. In this they surpass the Alps. 
It is no exaggeration to say that a mountain or ridge 
which would seem specially precipitous in Switzerland 
would be nothing out of the common in the Caucasus. 
There is an escarped look about the vast sides of these 
Eastern heights, and of the curtains connecting them, 
which adds greatly to their apparent size, and tells of 
abrupt cliffs which will be very terrible to the climber 
when it is sought to set foot on Caucasian crests. It is 
true that the slopes of Elbruz, the highest mountain in 
the chain, are gentle and gradual, but of no other great 
peak in the Western Caucasus can this, I believe, be 
said. During the time we were in the country we saw 
a way up one for certain and up two others possibly. 
The first was the mountain just named, which we 
ascended ; the other two were Tau Tetnuld and Tung- 
sorun, which stands at the head of the Urusbieh 
valley. Very likely, with time and trouble, paths 
would be found to many of the summits, but with such 
inspection as we were able to give we could see no 
way up the precipitous and jagged cliffs of the high 
mountains. What is most remarkable in Caucasian 



ALPINE AND CAUCASIAN SCENERY. 171 



peaks., then, is their sheer rise. Now it is not by any 
means desirable that great heights should be looked at 
only with a climber's eyes, and that nothing should be 
thought magnificent which is not seemingly impossible ; 
but nevertheless it is generally true that no mountains 
produce so great an effect on men as those which are 
apparently inaccessible, those of which the mighty 
precipices seem to defy any efforts human beings can 
make to reach the unassailable crests. This no doubt 
is due in part to the great boldness of form which 
marks such mountains, and to their absolute difference 
from anything seen in lowlands ; but it is also due in 
part, perhaps, to this appearance of impregnability. 
The ordinary spectator may not keenly scrutinize the 
inclination of cliffs and the texture of rocks to see 
whether there is any possible line by which the highest 
point can be gained ; but nevertheless he is deeply 
impressed by that which is apparently beyond the 
reach of the best of his fellows, by those high places 
which look as if they must be for ever virgin to man's 
tread. Who that cares for mountains can forget how 
he has admired and wondered at those which were 
seemingly beyond all human effort ? Now, as I have 
said, the peaks of the Caucasus are far more abrupt 
than those of Switzerland, Their sides are steeper, 
and their crests are more keen. In appearance of 
inaccessibility and in boldness of form they are beyond 
the Alps, and probably, when they are better known, 
they will be thought grander and more majestic than 



172 T CUE GEM TO THE EARS AN VALLEY. 



the Alps, both by those who love to scale mountains 
and by those who are well content with mountain 
beauty as seen from below. 

Whether they are really impossible of ascent or 
not, I cannot attempt to decide. Many an Alpine 
peak, the regular tariff price of which is now, so to 
speak, the badge of its subjugation, was at one time 
deemed inaccessible, and it is almost a matter of faith 
with some of the Alpine Club that a way is to be 
found to the summit of every mountain, if only men 
will seek long and strive hard. Others will discover 
whether the Caucasus justifies this belief, but it may 
safely be predicted that the high peaks of the chain 
will not be won without very great effort, and the 
exercise of the highest mountaineering skill. 

I must now return to the grass slopes where I left 
my companions to give this brief and imperfect sketch 
of Caucasian as contrasted with Alpine scenery. Our 
way lay over a great rolling down, which formed the 
base of the huge valley we had entered from that of 
Tchegem. It was a wild, sad place, but one thing re- 
deemed the severity of the view. There were cattle 
grazing on some of the hill-sides, and this told of 
peaceful human occupation and of settled life in this 
seeming wilderness. Soon there was still better 
evidence of this, for we came to a farmhouse whence 
issued the inhabitants, after we had as usual battled 
with jackal-like dogs. I am bound to say that, al- 
though Mohammedans, they were as dirty as dustmen. 



A CAUCASIAN FAMILY. 



173 



There was a tall fellow, stately in spite of his filthy 
rags, the head of the family, and with him were a mob 
of children, a wife or so, and two or three lusty young 
men. All stared at us as though we had dropped from 
the clouds, and asked questions with true Caucasian 
curiosity : but they were kindly people, if inquisitive, 
bringing sour milk and curds in abundance, and not, I 
think, expecting any payment, though of course 
something was given them. They wished us a good 
journey with much cordiality, and a dog would cer- 
tainly have got hold of my leg as I was waving fare- 
well, had not an interposition of providence in the 
shape of a kick from one of our horses sent the brute 
howling away. I say one of our horses, for though we 
ourselves were foot travellers all through the journey, 
Ave had with us at this time two baggage animals, 
which, with a couple of men to drive them, we had 
hired at Kunim. After a slight attempt to cheat us — 
a proceeding which often seems an essential pre- 
liminary to a good understanding between employer 
and employed — the men had become very fair servants, 
one of them afterwards proving quite devoted, for he 
informed us later on in our journey, that having taken 
a fancy to us, he would stay with us for any wages we 
pleased to give him ; strange to say, he meant it. On 
this day, however, though bent on making a long 
stage, they were, unfortunately for us, in a very 
conversational mood, and, as we met several wayfarers, 
we were much delayed by that inveterate talkativeness 



174 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



in which I verily believe a Caucasian would beat a hair- 
dresser or a monthly nurse. The dialogue repeated 
with every fresh traveller ran something in this 
fashion : — 

The Traveller. — Good morning. All greetings to 
you. Who are these with you ? 

One of our Men. — They are strangers ; very 
honourable persons of good degree, travelling under 
the protection of the Russians. 

The Traveller. — Why do they go on foot ? 

Our Man, — They are strangers, and it so pleases 
them. It is the way of their country. They are rich 
men, and could have horses in plenty if they would, 
but they will not. 

The Traveller. — That is indeed curious. Where 
are they going ? 

Our Man. — To Urusbieh. 

The Traveller. — What do they want there? 

Our Man. — I do not know. 

The Traveller. — It is most curious they should go 
on foot ! 

Our Man. — It is in truth. They could well 
afford to ride if they pleased, but you see they are 
strangers, and in their country. 

Paul (interposing with fury). — Do you think the 
gentlemen have nothing to do but to stand here and 
listen to you prating with any one you meet ? Go on, 
I say, and do the work you are paid for, you lazy 
vagabonds. 



A LONG STAGE. 



175 



Both our Men together. — Lazy vagabonds ! We 
are as good men as you, and indeed much better than 
you (here a violent personal altercation lasting some 
time). 

With episodes of this kind, we trudged over the 
long and dull way to the top of the grass pass we had 
to cross, and got to the col in fair time in spite of the 
pauses for talk. The Caucasians, though usually very 
fond of short halts on a march, can, if they please, 
make long stages, and seem to care very little when 
they eat, going for six or seven hours without any 
apparent necessity for food. I believe that, if re- 
quired, they could walk all day without a meal, and 
suffer little from the fasting. In this respect they 
present a favourable contrast to Swiss guides, the 
strongest of whom can rarely go for more than five 
hours without meat and drink, and who frequently 
stop at shorter intervals. On this occasion our horse- 
drivers were very reluctant to let us halt for food on 
the top of the pass, though it was seven good hours 
since we had left Tchegem, and pointed out to us, 
when told to pull up, that we had already several times 
rebuked them for stopping. We replied that, so far 
as we knew, bread was a necessity for man, but that 
chatter was not ; but we had no opportunity of learning 
what their views were on this point, for the discussion 
here diverged into two separate channels. Paul, by a 
direct argumentum ad hominem, engaged each of the 
horse-drivers in a discussion as to his own personal 



176 TCJ1EGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY, 



merits and those of some of his relations. We got in- 
volved in a debate less acrid, but almost equally 
animated. Moore, much struck by the conduct of the 
Caucasians, recurred to his favourite thesis that daily 
eating was a bad habit which could be almost got rid 
of by resolution and perseverance. These men, he 
said, can do without food for eight or nine hours ; 
thence it would be easy to get to ten or twelve, then 
by degrees to twenty-four, and so on until a bi-weekly 
dinner was all that was required to sustain human 
energy. We contested this, declaring that we wanted 
to dine then, should want to sup that night, and that 
we had every reason to suppose that these wants would 
recur with distressing regularity. The discussion 
lasted some time, and Moore, I think, got the best of 
the argument ; but, in justice to ourselves, I must say 
that we carried out our views in practice, and that he 
did not. I ought to add, however, that his power 
of going without food for long periods is considerable, 
and only matched by a corresponding ability for 
devouring it when others set him a good example. 
The col we had reached was marked by a stone pillar, 
and it would therefore seem that the pass is one of 
some importance. The country during the latter part 
of the ascent had been very dull, but from the i Tau,' 
as the Caucasians call the top of either pass or 
mountain, the view to the north-west was somewhat 
impressive, commanding part of the great valley of the 
Baksan, which, softened by distance, and seen from 



THE KOANTA GLEN. 



177 



above, did not appear to be without beauty, though it 
was a dismal place enough when entered. That rain 
had fallen during the morning it is hardly necessary to 
say, but fortunately there was no mist, so that we 
could see the green country in front of us, though 
none of the high mountains were visible. In de- 
scending we wound round a concave hill- side, and 
entered a pretty little glen which led to a secluded 
valley of great beauty, to all seeming an utter soli- 
tude. It was narrow, with lofty sides, and in the 
upper part the splendid grass- slopes were, save in 
their steepness, like those of an English park, a small 
forest being placed just where the most cunning land- 
scape-gardener would have desired it. It was a lovely 
vale with the true Caucasian loneliness, but without 
the Caucasian dulness. 

The Koanta stream which comes down this glen 
flows into the Baksan, and a short walk brought us to 
the great valley through which the course of that 
river lies. It would not be easy in a mountain country 
to find anything less interesting than this vast trough. 
It has a wide, nearly level floor of grass-land ; sides, 
perhaps of some height, but dwarfed by the great 
width of the floor, and without beauty or variety of 
form. With a lowering sky giving promise of a 
coming tempest, the scene was most dreary, and the 
more depressing to us that we were quite uncertain 
which way to go, or whether we should find any 
shelter from the storm. We had been told that there 

N 



178 T CHE GEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



was a village where we could pass the night, but now 
our men did not seem to know whether it was up 
stream or down stream of us, and could do nothing but 
make foolish and contradictory suggestions. Fortu- 
nately, Moore had with his usual prevision made careful 
enquiries at Tchegem, and from what he had learnt 
there, and from a minute observation of the country 
we had passed through, he was able to lead the 
Caucasians in their own land, thinking quite rightly 
that the village of Osrokova, which we were seeking, 
was probably below the point where we had struck the 
valley. Certainty, however, on this point was im- 
possible until we could actually see the village, al- 
though there was all possible certainty as to a vile 
night. Osrokova was therefore looked for with a 
perhaps pardonable anxiety. 

It was but a short journey to it. Our way lay, 
first over dull grass plains, and then along the gently 
sloping southern side of the valley, here marked by a 
series of small rounded projections. While passing 
along them we could observe that the meadows in the 
plain below were watered by an elaborate system ot 
irrigation, a thing hardly to be expected in a region 
with so very thin a population. Indeed, it was a matter 
of some wonder where the people could be who thus 
carefully cultivated the land, and the wonder was 
hardly lessened when we reached Osrokova, a small, 
very miserable village, placed some distance up the 
southern slope of the valley at the mouth of a little 



OSROKOVA, 



179 



glen, of which the stream, indescribably filthy from 
receiving every kind of refuse, flowed sluggishly past 
the wretched-looking houses. These were even ruder 
than those generally found in the country, and the in- 
habitants were, most of them, squalid dirty creatures, 
though, as is always the case in the north-western 
Caucasus, there were some handsome, well-dressed 
fellows amongst them. Immediately on our arrival a 
crowd gathered round us, headed by the village priest, 
who seemed privileged to be the most inquisitive 
of the community, and, according to Caucasian cus- 
tom, everybody talked at once, and stared as though 
we were caged beasts. To this we were getting ac- 
customed, but in spite of Moore's precepts we had not 
yet got accustomed to going without food, and we 
much desired to find cover as the storm was beginning. 
We were therefore something dismayed to discover 
that the villagers were not apparently inclined to give 
us any aid whatever. Paul read the Russian letter, 
and said that we were not small people, and that it 
would be a serious matter if we were not well treated ; 
but there was no chief, nobody whose duty it was to 
receive strangers ; and as therefore not a man in the 
crowd felt any individual responsibility, PauPs state- 
ment fell, I am sorry to say, a little flat, and we might 
have had some difficulty in getting what we wanted, had 
there not been in the throng that never-failing visitor to 
a Caucasian village, one of the energetic men of Gebi. 
Now I hope I made it clear in my description of that 

N 2 



180 TCHEGEM TO THE BAKSAN VALLEY. 



place that the inhabitants have no dislike to the sound 
of their own voices, and this time the man of Gebi 
certainly did, if the expression may be allowed, im- 
prove the occasion, speaking to those around him to 
this effect : — 6 Now look you, these are considerable 
men. I know all about them, for I have friends all 
over the country, and hear of everything that goes 
on. These travellers are much thought of, and are 
under the special protection of the Russians, so you 
will do well to treat them with respect. That one 
(pointing to Moore) is the chief, a man of much 
dignity. Those two (Walker and myself), are his sub- 
ordinates ; and that tall, comely one (pointing to Gar- 
diner, who was mending a rent in his trousers), is also 
a chief of some importance. Treat them well, I advise 
you, for they are worthy of it. Moreover,' added the 
man of Gebi, 6 they will pay for all they get.' 

Now this exhortation, and more especially the con- 
cluding sentence of it, told on the villagers, and when 
it was translated to us we felt warmly towards the 
man of Gebi, who acted in a purely impartial spirit, 
seeing that he could not be called on to run any risk 
himself. The throng was so far impressed by what he 
said that, on the Russian letter being again read, a 
house was found for us, and one bold speculator rushed 
off to his dwelling, returning with a basket of eggs. 
Payment being immediate, to his great delight, he 
started at once to spread the news on Osrokova Change 
that the price quoted for eggs was a copeck apiece or 



OSROEOVA. 



181 



about three for a penny > which was cheap enough no 
doubt, but perhaps eight or nine times what they were 
worth in the village. The result was wonderful. 
Men who the moment before had declared that they 
had nothing to give us,, suddenly remembered that 
their hens had been laying that day, and eggs enough 
came in to make a whole boarding-school bilious. 
Thirty ahead or so seemed to be our estimated con- 
sumption, it being apparently thought that righteous 
men who paid cash on delivery must be enormous 
eaters. It was long before we got rid of the noisy 
crowd, but they went at last^ and we listened in peace 
to the beating of a furious storm, not an unpleasant 
sound for us now that we had a roof over our heads : 
but it would have been a sorry night on the hill-side. 



182 



URUSBIEH. 



CHAPTER VII. 

URUSBIEH. 

Walk up the Valley of the Baksan — Heavy Eain — Sudden Change 
— A cordial Chief — Arrival at Urusbieh — Well-ventilated House 
— The meek Chief of the Village — His care for his guests — The 
elder and greater brother — Caucasian Etiquette — A substantial 
Feast — Diet and Cookery of the Caucasians of the North-West — 
Ascent of a hillock behind Urusbieh — Valleys of the Adul-Su and 
Kwirik — Absence of the Princes of Urusbieh — Ismail's Son and Heir 
— Excitement of the villagers on seeing a pencil used — The Hunter, 
Sotaef Achia — Ascent of Tau Sultra — Achia's dread of snow — View 
from the summit of Tau Sultra — Elbruz — Usch-Ba, the double- 
crested Matterhorn — Preposterous story invented by the Suenetians 
— Eeturn to Urusbieh — Rejoicings there on account of a wedding. 

Heavy rain was still falling when the day broke on 
July 22, but a walk under any downpour was far 
better than a sojourn in filthy Osrokova ; so we started 
early, and trudged up the dull valley on which the 
very floodgates of heaven seemed to be opened. It 
was not a pleasant morning certainly, with that 
familiar but ever-detestable infliction of wet, perhaps 
more teasing among the hills than anywhere else, for 
few things are more tiresome than a walk through 
mountain country in thoroughly bad weather. The 
rain, driven by the wind, finds chinks and weak places 



HEAVY RAIN. 



183 



in the most cunningly contrived armour of mackintosh, 
and gets through in wicked little streams, making a 
man feel as though snails were crawling over him. 
Around are gloom and vapour ; overhead is a thick pall 
of mist ; the hill-sides are wrapt in the densest clouds ; 
all that is visible in the valley is made indistinct and 
blurred ; a melancholy greyness is everywhere. As- 
suredly, if mountain regions are pleasant beyond all 
others in fine weather, none are so dolesome in bad. 

Some signs of a prosperity beyond that of other 
places we had visited in the Northern Caucasus Ave 
could see as we walked along the soaked meadows. 
The road was suited for carts, and after we had gone 
some way we came to a perfect caravan of these on 
their way up the valley. They were two-wheeled, of 
very rough make, and drawn by oxen. At the time 
we overtook them the drivers were occupied in the 
not very easy task of getting cattle and carts over a 
frail bridge which crossed the turbid Baksan. Seeing 
that the Caucasians make roads which are, all things 
considered, very good, it is strange how little pains 
they give themselves about bridges. Frequently the 
streams have to be forded, and when there are bridges 
they are usually but rickety constructions, labour on 
them being evidently grudged; a thing not easy to un- 
derstand, in a country where so much trouble is taken 
with the roads. 

It had seemed when we started as though the 
bad weather must last all day at least, but after a 



184 



URUSBIEH. 



long downfall there came in the afternoon one of 
those rapid changes which are sometimes seen in a 
mountain land. The rain got lighter and then ceased, 
the mist overhead opened, and blue sky appeared. 
The clouds began to rise on the hill-sides, and within 
half an hour of the time when we had been in deepest 
gloom the sun was shining brightly, the ridges on 
either side were clear, and we could see a great moun- 
tain at the head of the valley afar off. It was a won- 
derfully quick passage from foul to fair. I never 
remember seeing the mists quit the hills in so short a 
space. Strange to say, the fine weather which came 
thus suddenly was no mere passing gleam, but lasted 
steadily for eight days. The Caucasus seems to have 
atmospheric laws of its own. 

The valley of the Baksan improves much as its 
upper part is reached and Urusbieh approached. The 
hills on each side are bolder, the base is narrower, while 
at the head is seen the mighty mass of the great 
mountain Tungsorun. There are trees on the slopes ; 
not as yet in large forests, but enough nevertheless 
to be very grateful to the eyes of men weary of a 
monotony of grass wilderness. This improvement in 
the country, joined to the sunshine, made us hope for 
pleasant days at Urusbieh, and w r e went on our way, 
if not rejoicing, at all events in a fair state of cheerful- 
ness, while we steamed like apple-dumplings under the 
strong sun. The warmth was grateful, but being 
rough dried was a disagreeable process notwith- 



t 



A CORDIAL CHIEF. 185 

standing. When near the village we met a chiet 
with his attendant trotting down the valley. He was 
extremely cordial, after the fashion of the genial 
people who dwell by the Upper Baksan, shook hands, 
and insisted on addressing, or rather on attempting to 
address, us in Russian, without the slightest advantage 
to us, it being no more intelligible to us than his own 
tongue, but with much ill-usage, I fear, of the Russian 
language which according to Paul he mangled 
frightfully. If his grammar was bad, his manners 
were good, and gave a pleasing augury of the people 
amongst whom we were going, which, unlike most 
pleasing auguries, came true. Not very long after we 
had met this chief we sighted Urusbieh, which is 
prettily placed on the slopes on the western side of the 
valley. Behind is a glen from which a powerful 
stream flows through the village down to the Baksan, 
and on the opposite side of the valley, another glen — a 
very noble one, as we afterwards discovered — opens out 
the south. The whole scene under that bright sun 
seemed to us very pleasing, but the beauty of hill and 
dale is, like other beauty, often relative. When Mr. 
Freshfield and his companions arrived at Urusbieh in 
1868, the scenery round the place struck them as being 
dull, if not ugly ; w T hile to us, as we neared the village, 
the valley seemed very fair to look on, but then the 
earlier travellers came fresh from beautiful Suenetia, 
which must surely be one of the loveliest countries in 
the world ; while our wanderings had been through the 



186 



URUSBIEH. 



stern and often sombre valleys of the north, so that 
what appeared to us varied and pretty had seemed to 
them harsh and colourless. 

The floor of the valley about Urusbieh is mainly 
fiat, and in parts the Baksan spreads over a con- 
siderable portion of it. The sides rise boldly, and the 
vale is fitly dominated by the huge Tungsorun, a 
mountain not possessing the usual Caucasian sharpness 
of form, but imposing from its vastness. Our way lay 
on the eastern side of the stream until we were just 
opposite the village, where a bridge, rather better made 
than usual, crosses the river. The engraving on the 
opposite page of the valley of the Upper Baksan and 
of Tungsorun, is from a photograph taken from the 
Urusbieh end of this bridge. Crossing its exceptionally 
firm planks we marched up to the houses, and found a 
group of young men, the youthful aristocracy of the 
place, as we afterwards discovered, engaged in that 
conversation which seems to be the principal object of 
a well-to-do Caucasian life. They looked at us at first 
with wonder and a little distrust, but Paul having 
explained who we were and read the Russian letter, 
two of them stepped forward, bade us welcome, and 
pointed out a house close by, which they said we 
might occupy, and we accordingly entered it. Now it 
was a very good house, just built, and one of the best 
in the village, but nevertheless we felt, like the Irish- 
man in the sedan-chair, that, barring the dignity of 
the thing, we were not particularly well off, for the 



WELL-VENTILATED HOUSE. 



187 



dwelling, like many in more civilised countries, owed 
considerable discomfort to the ambition of the builder. 
The mansion was meant to have the very unusual 
luxury of glass windows, for which neat frames had 
been fitted. But then unfortunately the glass was 
wanting, and through large openings the wind made 
merry, searching every corner. I think that most 
travellers will agree with me that a night in the open 
is often better than a night in a house with large gaps 
in the walls making so many cold blasts on the 
sleepers ; so we were rather unhappy in our grandeur, 
as people often are, but all was speedily put to rights 
by the appearance of the chief, who had been fetched 
by one of the group we had found discoursing when we 
entered the village, and who now came with all has to 
to receive the strangers. He was a very young man 
of meek bearing, and, as it seemed to me, rather 
frightened at his own position ; but we looked on him 
with favour, for he told us that we were not to stop in 
the aerated house, as he had caused other lodging to be 
got ready for us, having been warned of our coming by 
the inestimable governer of Vladikafkaz, who had sent 
a message to Urusbieh, as he had done to Tchegem, 
We followed the chief, and a crowd which had now 
gathered followed us to a house about a hundred 
paces from that we had first entered, and the meek 
head-man duly installed us. The crowed of course 
came in after us, and all the best places for observation 
were taken at once, the curiosity of the men of 



188 



URUSBIEH. 



Urusbieh being quite as ardent and insatiable as that 
of other Caucasians. 

We had not yet lodged on the northern side of the 
chain in a house so good as that which we now occu- 
pied. It had two rooms, in the better of which a con- 
siderable portion of the floor was covered by a low 
platform — it could hardly be called a divan — of planks, 
very much better for sleeping on than the cold ground. 
There were also in this well-found dwelling a huge 
bedstead big enough to hold three — a piece of furniture 
no doubt very useful in a Mohammedan menage — a 
great cooking-pot, a three-branched iron candlestick, 
and a small table, so that we found ourselves in more 
luxury than is perhaps good for travellers in a wild 
country, though I cannot say that any reflection on 
this score caused us uneasiness at the time. The 
mild chief was urbanity itself, taking such trouble to 
dispense the tea when it arrived that it pained us to 
see him, and we implored him to sit down and have 
some with us. Here, however, we unwittingly raised 
a delicate point of Caucasian etiquette. There was a 
whispered conversation between Paul and the chief of 
such length as made it clear that some awkward 
question had arisen. Hoping that no solecism on our 
part had annoyed our attentive host, we waited rather 
impatiently until Paul came and told us that the chief 
would be delighted to sit and drink with us, but that 
there was in the room his elder brother, a much greater 
man than he, son plus grand frere, as Paul called him, 



THE ELDER AND GREATER BROTHER. 189 



and that, without a terrible breach of family manners, 
the chief could not sit down or take food or drink 
until after the greater brother had been asked to seat 
himself and break bread. This greater brother was a 
handsome, well-dressed young fellow, whom we had 
noticed on entering the village prominent in the group 
of talkers. He joined us now cordially enough, and 
had some tea and cakes, to which he was accustomed, 
also a cigar, to which he w r as not accustomed, and he 
smoked it, I think, wdth no small discomfort, but was 
immensely pleased with it nevertheless, as being some- 
thing unusual and a tribute to his position. After he 
had been seated, and his tea given to him, the chief 
sat down below him. 

Now after this observance of a severe etiquette, it 
astonished us not a little, later in the evening, to see 
the elder brother sit down and play cards with his own 
servant, and have apparently a very animated and 
interesting game with him. It seemed a funny con- 
trast certainly, that where social rules were so strict 
that a younger brother would not sit down before an 
elder, an aristocrat could play cards with his servant 
without seemingly doing anything in the least deroga- 
tory to his dignity ; but so it was. Manners are, I 
suppose, in all countries a puzzle to strangers. 

The ideas of the young chief as to hospitality were 
certainly large. After the usual tea and cakes came a 
considerable quantity of excellent mutton, which we 
imagined to be dinner, but which proved to be only a 



190 



URUSBIEH. 



preliminary morsel intended to prepare the guests for 
a mass of boiled meat covering a table which ap- 
peared afterwards. This remarkable whet to the 
appetite deserved notice, as I think that the practice of 
giving something of the same kind to guests obtained 
once in England, when what we should now consider 
as very substantial food was served as a forerunner to 
the feast which came an hour or so later. Unless 
marked by some peculiarity of this kind, a traveller's 
meals, though of considerable consequence to himself, 
are of the smallest possible interest to readers, and 
writers on Alpine exploration have been accused of 
relating with unnecessary unction how they ate three 
times a day, forgetting that the practice is far from 
uncommon. Even a very slight sketch of the people 
of the north-western Caucasus would, however, be im- 
perfect without some account of their cookery, and it 
may not be amiss to take this opportunity of telling 
how the Caucasians prepare their food. Happily the 
subject admits of very brief treatment. 

The bread all through the country is baked in 
large round flat loaves, made from barley or wheat 
meal, into which all the husk is apparently ground. 
The loaves or cakes are, however, essentially brown 
bread, quite different from the black bread of the 
Alps, and, so far as taste is concerned, are usually 
excellent, though unfortunately they are exceedingly 
indigestible, being hardly ever baked through, and 
having almost always a stratum of clough in the 



CAUCASIAN DIET. 



191 



middle ; but the traveller in a wild country must not 
expect to find everything exactly according to his 
wants, and if the bread is pleasant to eat he can 
hardly hope that it will be wholesome too. Like other 
indigestible kinds of food, it will not disagree with a 
man if he eats it only when decidedly hungry, and 
then only eats a little. There is a better kind of 
bread made from a selected and sifted flour, and baked 
with care, which is as good as anything that can be 
desired, but this being for native means very dear, 
is rarely made, and is offered only as a special favour. 
The meat w r hich the traveller obtains during the sum- 
mer is invariably mutton. Seeing that there were 
large herds of cattle, I wondered at this in my stu- 
pidity, and asked one of the chiefs at Urusbieh why it 
was that the people always killed sheep and never oxen, 
whereupon he told me in answer what a very moderate 
amount of ingenuity would have enabled me to guess. 
Said he : — If a man were to kill an ox in the summer, 
a good deal of the flesh would be bad before he and his 
family could eat it, but this of course would not be 
the case with a sheep, which is so much smaller. In 
the winter, on the contrary, the flesh of an ox will 
keep long enough for a family to eat it all, and there- 
fore we eat mutton in the summer and beef in the 
winter.' As has been said, this answer might have 
been guessed, but nevertheless it was interesting, as 
showing the extremely simple and patriarchal life of 
these people. It did not seem to strike the chief that 



192 



UR USB IE H. 



a man might sell to his neighbour a part of the ox he 
killed. Each family lives apparently on its own flock 
and herd. The mutton is very good. The sheep are 
larger than the Welsh, though considerably under the 
size of the ordinary English animal. They have short 
curly wool, frequently black or grey, and are of the 
breed w T hich furnishes the skins largely sold in 
England as cheap Astrakhan. The Caucasians are 
not at all particular about hanging their meat, but 
after killing a sheep usually skin it and cut it up at 
once with wonderful quickness, and then cook it 
immediately. There is an old saying to the effect that 
flesh cooked while still warm will be found quite 
tender, and this our experience altogether confirmed, 
for we found that mutton which had been thus rapidly 
dealt with was never tough. The native way of 
cooking was nearly always to boil. At Urusbieh 
there was an enlightened cook (probably a princess) 
who was acquainted with a form of pie, and could 
even make rissoles, but with this exception we found 
that the natives when in the villages never prepared 
their meat in any other way than by boiling it. They 
made excellent broth from the water in which it was 
boiled, which they were given to flavouring with a very 
strong kind of onion. As a favour to us they roasted 
meat for us, and when they were not able on an ex- 
pedition to take one of their great cooking-pots with 
them, they were very clever at broiling over a wood 
fire, but in the villages, when left to their own ways, 



CAUCASIAN DIET. 



193 



they invariably boiled their meat, with the one excep- 
tion of the Urusbieh cook I have mentioned. 

Meat, brown breads and a kind of cheese, are the 
staple of Caucasian diet, the first being the food of 
which they consume the most, and it is probably owing 
to the preponderance of flesh in their fare that they 
owe the slim supple figures on which the native dress 
sits so well. I was struck at first by the remarkable 
absence of fat men, but when I became acquainted 
with the Caucasian way of living my wonder ceased. 
Of course there are some things besides bread and 
meat. Poultry, and its necessary consequence eggs, 
are usually to be found in the villages, and are, as 
need hardly be said, eaten by the natives ; but their 
main reliance is on mutton in the summer and beef in 
the winter. Potatoes we found grown in small quanti- 
ties near Urusbieh. Of sweet food there seems to be 
none whatever. The rich men keep a small quantity 
of sugar for their great delicacy, tea, but with this ex- 
ception nothing sweet seems ever to be taken. 

Alcoholic drinks of any kind are all but absolutely 
unknown. At Urusbieh there was some stuff called 
beer, but it was a horribly acid decoction, having no 
taste of beer in it, and containing, as it seemed to 
me, no alcohol whatever. At Utchkulan the chief 
gave us, as a special favour, a beer rather better 
than this, and it may possibly have contained some 
tiny percentage of alcohol; but, with these two ex- 
ceptions, we never found in the northern Caucasus 

o 



194 



URTJSBIEH. 



a drink which either was, or was supposed to be, in 
the slightest degree alcoholic; and I believe that in 
most of the villages a great majority of the inhabi- 
tants are as completely unacquainted with the taste 
of anything spirituous as Englishmen are with bang. 
The Caucasians obey the precepts of the Prophet in 
this respect, whether from religious feeling, or because 
what is forbidden is also unattainable, we had no 
means of discovering. The universal drink in the 
northern valleys is sour milk, mixed with water. Fresh 
milk the natives rarely touch, their custom being to 
curdle it with rennet, and when the curds are acid to 
add water to them, stirring the mixture till it is quite 
fluid. The thin drink thus produced is commonly kept 
in skins, like wine, and is taken by the Caucasians at 
all their meals. Decidedly nasty it seems at first, but 
after a time there comes a liking for it, and certainly 
we all ended by becoming excessively fond of what 
we began by thinking almost nauseous. I have never 
known any drink so good as this for quenching that 
feverish thirst which comes of a hard walk on a hot 
day. So far as we could ascertain, it is exceedingly 
wholesome, being far more digestible than fresh milk, 
and as it is very easy to make I would suggest taking 
it in hot weather to those who have discovered that, 
where long-sustained physical effort has to be made, 
non-alcoholic drinks are the best. Lait Aigre, which 
is drunk in some parts of the Valais, is almost the 
same as the Caucasian drink. 



CAUCASIAN DIET. 



195 



A coarse kind of white cheese, something between 
yellow and cream cheese in consistency, is largely 
made. It has little flavour, good or bad, and has to be 
eaten by strangers with caution, as it is very apt to 
disagree with those who are not accustomed to it. To 
eat some of this cheese with the underbaked part of 
one of the brown loaves, is no bad test of a traveller's 
digestion. He may be ill afterwards ; but if he is 
not, he may rest assured that few things will come 
amiss to him. 

It will be seen then that sugar and alcohol, two 
things usually found essential by civilised men, form 
no part of the diet of the Caucasians, and excellent 
well they seem to thrive without them. Very fine 
men they certainly are: to all appearance healthy, 
and, though exceedingly lazy, capable of severe and 
prolonged labour when they think fit to exert them- 
selves. I should add that they are very moderate 
eaters — nothing astonished them more than our appe- 
tites — and that, though assuredly far removed from 
savages, they seem to have preserved some of the 
savage's power of going without food. Of this we 
saw a remarkable instance at the end of our journey. 

The traveller, it will have been seen, fares well in 
a Caucasian village. Brown bread, excellent mutton, 
fowls and eggs sometimes, and frequent tea and cakes, 
are as good food as man can desire, and better than he 
has any right to expect among a primitive people. 
Considerable difficulty occurs, however, when, either 

o 2 



196 



URUSBIEH. 



for a mountain expedition or for a journey across 
country where there are no villages, a stock of pro- 
visions sufficient to last two or three days is required. 
Owino; to the dawdling and indolent habits of the 
natives, it is excessively hard to get them to prepare 
the necessary amount of food, especially to bake 
bread enough. Everything is promised, and then at 
the time when all ought to be ready , a quarter or 
a third of the necessary quantity is forthcoming. A 
good deal of persuasion and a little bullying usually 
get what is wanted at last, but it is tiresome work. 

Is ext morning's sun shone brightly on Urusbieh, 
and we ascended during the forenoon a hillock behind 
the village, whence we looked into the valley of the 
Aclul-Su, which opens opposite Urusbieh to the south- 
east. Two bold snow-peaks rise on the western side 
of this valley, and at its head is a lofty ridge with the 
escarped look so common in the Caucasus. On the 
northern, or, to be quite accurate, the north-western 
side of the Baksan valley, two glens unite a little way 
above Urusbieh. One leads to the glacier at the foot 
of a mountain called Tau Sultra, the other is the nar- 
row ending of the valley of the Kwirik, through 
which we subsequently passed on our way to Utchku- 
lan. It will be seen then that Urusbieh stands at the 
place where two considerable valleys open into that of 
the Baksan. Of these the Kwirik vale is dull and 
bleak, but the Adul-Su is of great beauty, and there is 
still left in it a large forest, where, alas, the villagers 



THE PRINCES OF UR USB IE H. 



197 



are making sad havoc. Which was the forest belong- 
ing to Prince Ismail, and whether he was threatened 
with confiscation of it, or only with some limitation of 
the right of fellings we could not discover ; but certain 
it is that he and his two brothers were, at the time 
of our arrival, away from Urusbieh on business of 
importance relating to their property. One of the 
brothers we afterwards saw, but Ismail did not return 
during our stay, and we were not able therefore to 
make acquaintance with the principal man of Urus- 
bieh, who had given so genial a welcome to Mr. Fresh- 
field and his companions in 1868. The chief who en- 
tertained us was related to Ismail, but his family was 
of less degree. 

We did not, as has been said, succeed in discover- 
ing what was the question which had arisen between 
the Russian authorities and the princes of Urusbieh, 
though we learnt that the matter was a very serious 
one for them. Not knowing anything of the case, there- 
fore, it would be a piece of wanton impertinence cn 
my part to impute anything like unjust dealing to the 
Russians ; but recollecting the hospitality shown to the 
English travellers in 1868 by Ismail and his brothers, 
and ha vino; heard much about them in their village, it 
may be permissible to express a hope that no harsh 
measures have been used towards men so kindly, so 
liberal, and so much respected by all around them as 
the princes of Urusbieh. 

One representative of the principal family there 



198 



URUSBIEH. 



was in the place— a charming youngster, some fifteen 
or sixteen years old, eldest son and heir of Ismail. It 
was amusing, and at the same time very pleasing, to 
see how clearly the boy felt that in his father's 
absence it was his duty to pay every possible attention 
to strangers, who, had Ismail been at home, would 
probably have been his guests. ' Sir,' said he once to 
Moore when the latter was speaking of the journey 
from Urusbieh to Utchkulan, 6 if my father had been 
here, not only would he have deemed himself honoured 
by receiving you in his house, but he would have ac- 
companied you to Utchkulan.' Perhaps he was a 
little overpledging the paternal goodwill. The kindest 
host could hardly be expected to follow his guest on a 
three days' journey, but the speech, if marked by 
boyish exaggeration, came from real warmth of feeling, 
and from a graceful zeal for the honour of his house. 
The lad had received some education at a Russian 
school, and, as was natural, sought a little to imitate 
the conquering race in dress and manner, but much 
that was good in the native character remained, and 
he was an admirable specimen of the people of Urus- 
bieh, the most intelligent and the most kindly of the 
inhabitants of the north-western Caucasus. 

After the exceedingly moderate labour of ascending 
and descending the hillock, we gave up the rest of the 
day to that basking indolence which is so pleasant when 
the sun shines at last after many days of heavy rain. 
Very agreeable was this mood of ours to the natives. 



NATIVE CURIOSITY. 



199 



Urusbieli is occasionally visited by Russians, and is 
only two days' journey from Patigorsk, a fashionable 
watering-place ; but the villagers were just as curious 
as those who dwelt in more secluded valleys, and our 
idleness gave the men of Urusbieh a good opportunity 
for prolonged observation. One instance will show 
how intensely inquisitive they were. In all the vil- 
lages writing is known, and at Urusbieh several of the 
leading men wrote quickly and easily. On this after- 
noon the chief of the village was busy writing letters 
in the house we occupied, when I sat down on a bench 
outside to scribble some pencil notes. Men gathered 
round me at once, and those who were observing Gar- 
diner and Walker in the house, hearing of what was 
going on, came out immediately. In Patagonia the 
natives could not have been more wonderingly inqui- 
sitive. One man, under pretence of holding down the 
page, sat down by my side, and nearly got his head 
between me and the note-book. Two more leant on 
my shoulder, and the rest pressed me so closely that I 
had at last to give up writing and go away, where- 
upon they discussed the matter amongst each other for 
an hour or so ; and this with one of their own people 
writing letters four yards off. It is possible that the 
pencil was a novelty, but truly they are a strange race. 
From the hillock we had ascended we had seen to- 
wards the north a minor peak, from the crest of which 
it seemed likely that we should get an extensive view 
of the main chain, and a near look at Elbruz. To 



200 



URUSBIEH. 



ascending this peak therefore, we determined to give 
up the next day. We had not the slightest doubt 
that we could find out the way for ourselves ; but the 
chief, discovering what we intended doing, insisted, 
with the somewhat onerous politeness which has been 
before described, on sending a man with us, and told 
off for this purpose the hunter Sotaef Achia. Now 
Achia deserves a word. 

He is the great hunter of Urusbieh, and probably 
possesses a better knowledge of the surrounding glens 
and ridges than any other man in the village. Of 
what lies beyond the snow-line he knows very little ; 
but ignorance in this respect is common to all Cauca- 
sians, who rarely set foot on the snow save when they 
have to cross a pass. The game of the country, far 
less hunted than that of Switzerland, is not nearly so 
shy, and has not to be followed into such remote sanc- 
tuaries as those which the Swiss chamois-hunter is 
obliged to invade. Great mountaineering skill is 
therefore not required for following game in the Cau- 
casus. What the hunter there must possess — in addi- 
tion, of course, to the power of holding his gun straight, 
which all hunters must possess — are a thorough know- 
ledge of the lower slopes of the mountains, a great 
capacity for quick hill-walking, and almost literally 
the eye of a hawk. Now these qualifications Achia 
had in a high degree. That he knew the country 
well, I have said ; what his powers of walking were we 
soon discovered, as Mr. Freshfield did in 1868. Spare, 



SOTAEF A CHI A. 



201 



sinewy, strong, his action was so easy that he seemed 
to be going quite leisurely along the hill-side, when 
his real pace was such as to make it difficult for a man 
of average power to keep up with him ; and he could, 
if necessary, maintain this rate of going for the whole 
of a long expedition. His eyesight was extraordinary. 
I saw him discover a bouquetin among rocks of a 
colour very like its own, so far off that when he sub- 
sequently reached the place himself several of our 
party could not see him, in spite of the advantage 
which his dark dress gave them ; and subsequently he 
saw us on Elbruz at a distance which I should have 
thought quite beyond the range of the naked eye. He 
ascended the eastern peaks of that mountain in 1868 
with Mr. Freshfield and his companions, and acquired 
on that occasion a holy horror of snow ; for, wearing 
no spectacles, he suffered not a little from snow-blind- 
ness after the ascent. For high mountain work, in- 
deed, he seemed to me to possess no qualification 
beyond that of being an admirable walker, but as a 
hunter he is still, I believe, unrivalled in the district, 
and any one going to Urusbieh for sport should cer- 
tainly engage him. I cannot say that I thought him 
a pleasant companion, and when with travellers he 
expects to be treated very much as the chiefs are, with 
this important difference however, that the chiefs are 
not paid, and he is. 

This mighty hunter then, who had greeted Moore 
warmly as an old friend, was to be our guide to the 



202 



URUSBIEH. 



top of Tau Sultra, for the ascent of which we got up 
on the morning of Friday, July 24, at that detestable 
hour which mountaineering so often makes necessary, 
namely, two in the morning. We started a little after 
three, Achia not having yet made his appearance, and 
after passing through the village, wherein all was dead 
for the time save two or three ever-watchful dogs, we 
struck up the slopes lying to the west of it, and shortly 
entered the more western of the two glens which unite 
above Urusbieh. Following a path which led through 
a pine forest, we were seized as day dawned with a fit 
of that laziness which is not uncommon when men have 
to be walking at the time usually given to sleep, and 
were wandering along in that state of dreamy indiffe- 
rence which may mar a mountain day as completely as 
indolence in early life may mpr a man's whole career, 
when, fortunately for us, we were aroused to better 
doings. We saw a figure below us on the slopes, and 
knew that our hunter was coming. For men who had 
journeyed from England in the hope of ascending El- 
bruz, to be found by a Caucasian dawdling away in- 
valuable hours in an easy valley, would not be well, 
so we braced ourselves to better action and fell into 
the regular mountain step, which did not, however, 
prevent Achia from overtaking us with small apparent 
effort. He was a beautiful walker certainly, having a 
strong, steady, elastic gait, rare even amongst good 
mountaineers. 

There was no possible difficulty as to the line to be 



ASCENT OF TAU S ULTRA. 



203 



taken, but we sent our hunter to the front, and under 
his guidance continued our way up the glen. Coming 
out of the wood we passed over a high alp, and stopped 
for a moment to talk to some shepherds, pleasant and 
genial as was natural to Urusbieh men. After the 
pastures came a vile wilderness of stones, through 
which we struggled to the head of the valley, a steep 
bank of grass thickly strewn with the same abominable 
stones. Climbing this we reached a beautiful frozen 
lake, lying in a little level space high up in the moun- 
tains, and saw Tau Sultra rising beyond this tarn 
to the west. The way to the top of the mountain w r as 
easy enough; We had to take to the glacier which 
rose from the lake, and to traverse its gentle gradients 
to the foot of a somewhat steeper incline, leading to the 
final slope of the mountain. The summit, which was of 
the ridge order, w^ould then be reached, either by 
ascending an easy snow-bank, or by going up a tongue 
of rocks which ran nearly to the crest. We took to the 
glacier, therefore, but had to say good-bye for a time to 
Achia, who, seeing that by making a long circuit he 
could avoid the much detested snow, would not be 
tempted to come with us ; so parting, to meet again on 
the top, we walked over the slopes, ascended the 
tongue of rocks which, though broken and treacherous 
as only rocks on a high mountain can be presented no 
difficulty, and reached with small labour the snow- 
ridge which constitutes the summit of Tau Sultra. 
This we struck close to its highest point, and gain- 



204 



URTJSBIEH. 



ing it we finished our easy morning's work, and gazed 
on a view which would have been a noble reward 
for a really difficult ascent. On one side was the 
eastern peak of Elbruz, the vast size of which could be 
realised from this place so near to it. A strange 
mountain it looked : not beautiful or commanding, and 
yet not ugly, not commonplace. Gardiner exclaimed 
directly he saw it that it was like the often seen 
picture of a summit on a Japanese tea-tray, and this 
indeed it perfectly resembled; nor am I able to give 
any better description of it than to compare it to 
that well-known type. It should be remembered that 
the Japanese drawing represents a volcanic peak, and 
it was on an extinct volcano that we were now looking. 
On the other side the spectacle was in truth wonderful 
and magnificent, for all the glories of the main chain 
were before us, and we gazed on snow-peaks which 
seemed to us of unparalleled majesty and beauty. More 
remarkable than ever was their extremely steep and 
precipitous character, and as I looked on them it 
appeared to me as though they were to the Alps what 
fourteenth century Gothic is to Norman architecture. 
Even the most abrupt and imposing mountain of the 
Alpine range, that which seems, from wherever seen, 
to be sui generis and of a different family from the 
rest of the chain, is surpassed by the mighty Usch-Ba 
or rain-peak, the double-crested Matterhorn of the 
Caucasus. If the mountain which rises over Zermatt 
were greater and steeper; if close to its eastern face 



USCH-BA. 



205 



rose another peak altogether resembling it ; if the two 
were united by a vast curtain of precipitous rocks 
ending some distance below the summits ; then would 
the likeness of Usch-Ba be presented to the eyes of 
travellers in Switzerland, and the overtopped Cervin 
be considered only as second to the mightier mountain. 
Perhaps in time, as approaching the Caucasus becomes 
easier and easier, the rain-peak will have many wor- 
shippers, such as have gathered long round the Pennine 
height ; but let it be hoped that, if this be so, great 
Usch-Ba will escape one degradation which the Matter- 
horn has suffered, and will not be made the subject of 
fine writing. Perhaps it will be so difficult to say any- 
thing nonsensical about a mountain which has not 
already been said about the Matterhorn, that from very 
inability to invent new rhapsodies men will be obliged 
to admire in silence. 

There is a curious story connected with Usch-Ba 
which shows what ridiculous legends are in a wild 
country invented concerning travellers, and also how 
these legends are sometimes believed by those who 
ought to know their real worth. At the time when we 
were journeying through the Northern Caucasus, 
Captain Telfer, R.N., the English officer whom we 
had met on board the Black Sea steamer, and after- 
wards at Kutais, was travelling in Suenetia. He saw 
and admired Usch-Ba from the southern side, and 
when talking of the mountain to a Russian officer in 
command of an outpost, was gravely informed that, six 



206 



URUSBIEII. 



years before, three English travellers with some 
Suenetians had attempted the ascent of one of the 
peaks ; that they had failed utterly, and that they had 
thereupon paid the natives ten roubles apiece to say 
that they had reached the desired summit. This silly 
fable of Suenetian invention referred to Mr. Freshfield 
and his companions, who, I need hardly say, never 
attempted the ascent of Usch-Ba — never thought of 
attempting it. Any one with the smallest knowledge 
of mountaineering might be certain, after looking at the 
rain-peak, that it was not a mountain on which three 
travellers with one guide were likely to make an 
assault in the course of a rapid journey through the 
country. If Usch-Ba ever is ascended, it will be 
by a traveller who takes with him two or three first- 
class Swiss guides, and is able to give one or two 
seasons to a careful examination of the mountain. 
Men on duty in the Caucasus must find great difficulty 
in passing their time if they are driven to listen to and 
repeat the idiotic chatter of the natives, and surely 
must have discovered for themselves that the Suene- 
tian barbarians are almost incapable of speaking the 
truth. What should we think of an Englishman who 
believed in the native gossip about a Russian travel- 
ling in a remote part of India ? 

The descent of Tau Sultra was even easier than 
the ascent. Achia, who had joined us on the top, 
came down with us, but was much disquieted in going 
over the snow. If he ever ascends again he will pro- 



A WEDDING. 



207 



bably be happier, for I think that, in a fine summer, 
the slope leading to the crest will generally have little 
or no snow upon it, and that what we found there was 
due to the very bad weather which had recently pre- 
vailed. We halted for a little while to admire the 
frozen lake, and then passed through the stony wilder- 
ness, the pleasant pastures, and the forest to ITrus- 
bieh. Paul and the chief had managed to fall out 
during our absence, and the chief had declined to pro- 
vide for us any further, which made us feel rather 
downcast, for we did not see how we were to start for 
Elbruz without his aid; but the difficulty, which 
might have been a serious one, was soon got rid of, as 
the elder and greater brother hearing that we were 
thus 6 left out iu the cold,' declared that it was a dis- 
honour to his family, and that he would be our host 
himself; and a very good one he was, save when a 
droll, housekeeping perplexity arose, of which later on 
I shall have to speak. There had been a wedding in 
the village that day, and there was merry-making after 
the Urusbieh fashion during the evenino;. This 
seemed principally to consist in the men's assembling 
for conversational purposes on the roof of a house, but 
there was more pronounced rejoicing late in the night, 
for some of us were awakened by an indescribably 
dreary sound as of revellers. Muskets were also fired 
off at intervals, the Caucasians having, like the Nea- 
politans, this rather heavy-handed way of showing 
their joyfulness. 



208 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ, 



CHAPTEK VIII. 

THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ, 

The valley of the Adul-Su — Achia and the young Ismail — Necessity of 
starting for Elbruz sooner than we had intended — Time required for 
the expedition — Minghi-Tau the true name of the mountain — 
Determination of a Chief to come with us — Difficulty about getting 
provisions — Domestic troubles in the Caucasus — Walk up the valley 
— A false alarm — Bivouac in the forest — View of the two peaks of 
Elbruz up a lateral glen — Pass to the Karatchai country — A bou- 
quetin stalked by Achia — Ascent to the rock plateau on the slopes of 
Elbruz — Arrival of a hunter with a letter from the Russian officers 
— A difficulty solved— Tungsorun — Sunset from the camp — Start 
for the summit — Relative position of the two peaks of the mountain — 
Huge snow-slopes — A wonderful sunrise — Col between the two peaks — 
Einal incline of the western height — Peak ascended by Mr. Freshfield 
in 1868 found to be the eastern one — An extinct crater — Doubt as to 
the effect of the rarity of the air — The summit and the view thence. 

The next day (July 25) was given to a ramble 
through the beautiful valley of the Adul-Su^ in which 
we were accompanied by Achia and our sworn friend 
the young Ismail. There is still much forest left in 
this vale ; but felling is going on at a fearful rate., and 
probably before long the hill-sides will be as bare as so 
many others are throughout the country. The walls 
of the Urusbieh houses are built, not of stone, as in 
other parts of the northern Caucasus, but of large 



THE ADUL-SU VALLEY. 



209 



baulks of timber, so that the demand for wood is great, 
and the Adul-Su forest being the nearest is preyed on 
ruthlessly. We saw one considerable slope, on which 
all the trees had quite lately been felled. The valley 
is of great beauty, and, according to Achia, game is to 
be found in it, although the village is close at hand. 
Traces of this game he set to work to discover, but 
we troubled ourselves little about the tracks of a bou- 
quetin — albeit they were only two or three hours old 
— being of opinion that, even with less start than this, 
we might fail to catch the animal, and gave ourselves 
up to admiring the valley of the Adul-Su, which was, 
after that of the Upper Tcherek, the finest we saw 
on the northern side. High peaks of bold Caucasian 
outline rise from its western bank ; the base and slopes 
are richly wooded, and at the head is a snow-clad 
ridge, lofty and very steep. A pass leads from this 
valley over the main chain into the Suenetian country. 

After an easy ramble we got back to the village 
early, leaving Achia and the young Ismail to follow 
their examination of the bouquetin's tracks by a wild- 
goose chase — that is, by running after us ; for being 
under the impression that we were ahead of them in 
the valley, they went nearly to the end to find us, 
fearing we might lose our way, and came, I am afraid, 
to the conclusion that we had disappeared in some 
mysterious and uncanny manner. 

While they were thus vainly seeking us, we were 
holding a council as to our future course, which resulted 

p 



210 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



in the determination to start for Elbruz next day, 
Friday, July 26. Our original intention had been 
to leave Urusbieh for the mountain on the 28th, but 
we now found that, if we did not start before that day, 
we might have very great difficulty in reaching Souk- 
iiQiini Kaleh in time for the steamer sailing on August 
8 ; indeed, that we should probably miss it. We had 
therefore no choice but to leave on an earlier day, 
and we determined to start for the mountain on the 
26th. We found that four days would be necessary 
for the expedition — 1. From Urusbieh to a chalet at 
the head of the valley. 2. From the chalet to some 
rocks on the slopes of Elbruz. 3. To the summit of 
the mountain (we hoped), and down to the chalet. 4. 
From the chalet to Urusbieh. Lieutenant BernofF had 
said that he should arrive at Urusbieh on the 26th. In 
the event of his getting there after we had left on that 
day, it would be easy for him to ride after us to the 
chalet, the time required for getting there on horseback 
not being great, though our progress with a multitude 
of dawdling natives would of necessity be slow. With 
Swiss guides and porters such an expedition as we were 
about to make would not require more than three days, 
or two days and a half, as it would be quite possible 
to reach the rocks in one long march from Urusbieh ; 
but we knew that nothing would induce our Caucasian 
followers to do this, and we were therefore obliged to 
allow four days for the journey to the summit of Elbruz 
and back to the village. 



TRUE NAME 6 MING HI TAW 



211 



Paul set to work to hire the necessary porters, and 
the elder and greater brother was entreated to have 
a sufficient supply of bread baked. That gracious 
seigneur promised that twenty loaves should be ready ; 
and said, moreover, that he and one of his brothers 
meant to come with us, as they were anxious to ascend 
6 Minghi Tau.' This, I should observe, is the true 
name of the great mountain, and thus it is called all 
through the north-western Caucasus. Elbruz is a 
foreign name, being, I believe, a Persian word signi- 
fying simply snow-mountain, and it certainly seems 
hard that the highest summit in Europe should not be 
called by its rightful title. The word Elbruz is used, 
however, throughout these pages, as by that name the 
Caucasian peak is generally known. 

We rejoiced much that the chief was coming, first 
because we liked him, and secondly because we 
thought that, as he was to be with us, he would take 
care that the provisions should be ready, and feeling 
safe on this score we were blissful that night, and 
kept up our 6 at home ' till a late hour, being well dis- 
posed towards the men of Urusbieh, and thinking that 
all was for the best in the best of all possible worlds. 

Vain are the hopes of man. There was every 
promise of a beautiful day when we turned out next 
morning, and the porters whom Paul had engaged ap- 
peared not much more than an hour and a half after 
the appointed time, but food for the journey there was 
none at all. Now the staunchest mountaineer cannot 

p 2 



212 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



live for four days on mountain air alone, however 
great may be the quantity of ozone which it contains, 
and we struggled vigorously for the bread without 
which there was for us no hope of Elbruz. But we 
were much in the position of a man in an eating-house, 
who to his repeated calls can get no answer but 
6 Coming 9 from the flying waiter. So we were told at 
short intervals that the bread was ready and would be 
brought in a few minutes ; but hours passed away, and 
nothing came except four undersized, half-baked loaves, 
which were truly a very mockery. It was as if, going 
to dine with a friend, one was offered a penny bun. 
Losing patience at last, Moore remonstrated sternly 
with the elder and greater brother, who had promised 
we should have all we needed, and received from the 
chief an answer which, I think, is worthy of the 
attention of those who have to keep house, should 
any such deign to read this record. Said the Chief — 
' It is true the bread is not ready, and I am sorry 
for it ; but it is no fault of mine. It is owing to the 
indolence of my servants. Formerly, when we had 
slaves, we could get our household work done, because 
we could oblige them to do it ; but now we have to 
employ free servants, and when they are not inclined 
to work they won't work. Last night and this 
morning my servants were in an idle humour, and 
would do nothing.' Whereat Moore was as one struck 
dumb, feeling that in his own land such things might 
happen. It may be some consolation to those who 



WALK UP THE VALLEY. 



213 



have to struggle against home troubles to know that, 
even in the primitive Caucasus, the domestic difficulties 
exist which we are prone to consider as the results of a 
corrupting civilisation. I have mentioned this delay 
to show the apparently trifling, but really serious, 
obstacle which interferes with a mountain expedition 
in the Caucasus. Twenty loaves were no great requi- 
sition in rich ITrusbieh, where food abounded; but 
preparing more than was necessary for immediate 
want was against all habit, and it seemed very un- 
likely we should get what we required. At last it 
was settled that Walker, Gardiner, and I should start, 
to show the natives that we were determined to go that 
day ; and that Moore should remain behind with Paul, 
get provisions together by hook or by crook, and 
follow us in the evening. We three started, there- 
fore, with Achia. The two chiefs who were going to 
ascend Minghi-Tau waited for Moore ; but another of 
the brethren — an admirable rider, by the way — the 
meek chief of the village, and the young Ismail, came 
with us, so that it seemed likely we should be a goodly 
company on the mountain- side. 

We traversed for some distance the level meadows 
of the valley's base, until we came about an hour and 
a half after leaving Urusbieh to a vast ancient moraine, 
where once ended a huge glacier. Passing over this, 
we continued our way along very easy ground, and 
reached a large farmhouse, where Achia made signs 
to us that we were to stop for the night. It was an 



214 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



example of the short-dghted indolence, the apparent 
inability to think of anything beyond the day, which 
Caucasians so often show. Everything had been ex- 
plained to Achia, and he knew that we were still some 
three hours' walk from the right camping-place. The 
work thus shunned for one day would have to be added 
to the labour of the next; but nevertheless Achia, who 
could, when he thought fit, go on with unchanging 
step up the most trying slopes for almost any time re- 
quired, was unable to resist the temptation to stop 
after some two hours' easy walking, because he felt lazy 
and there was a resting-place at hand, and he clearly 
thought himself much ill-used at being obliged to go 
on. For some time after this our way was still through 
cultivated meadows, and we passed another large farm- 
house. The valley grew narrower and more striking 
as we advanced, and there were wonderful glimpses up 
side gorges of snow-peaks, so lofty and so great that it 
was difficult to understand how there was room for 
their foundations in the narrow glens whence they 
seemed to rise. Presently we came to a place where 
a forest had apparently been destroyed, partly by 
felling and partly by fire, which latter had also con- 
sumed a small chalet which stood here. On the 
slopes above there was much evidence of ruthless 
cutting down of trees. Continuing our way we 
entered a beautiful wood, and after walking for a time 
close to the roaring Baksan, came presently to a 
deserted farmhouse, with a sad weed-grown garden^ in 



BIVOUAC IN THE FOREST. 



215 



which the young Ismail picked a certain small vege- 
table, something between a turnip and a radish, of 
wonderfully stinging taste, calculated to take the skin 
off any but a Caucasian tongue. Three-quarters of an 
hour further through the wood took us to our camping- 
place for the night. 

It was a little open space in the forest, covered 
with thick grass (what the French call a pelouse), as 
beautiful a woodland nook as the wanderer's eye could 
desire, and perfect for a bivouac, for the ground was 
level, there was plenty of dead wood about, and 
running water was within reach. A deserted chalet 
offered some kind of shelter, but though the poor hut 
had long been left by human beings, the inhabitants of 
another kind were in such numbers that we determined 
at once to sleep in the open. We had with us Achia, 
some porters, the young prince, and the meek chief of 
the village. The other chief who had started with us 
had disappeared. With the two who stayed with us we 
could not talk, as the many-tongued Paul was with 
Moore ; but as we sat round the blazing fire which 
jour men had quickly made, we tried to converse by 
signs, with the usual result, that nobody had the 
slightest idea what any one else meant, but we solved 
difficulties by shaking hands all round at intervals, and 
there being a general impression of amity and good- 
will on both sides, time slipped away pleasantly 
enough. Night had long fallen, and an exposition of 
sleep was on some of us, w T hen Achia, who was lying 



216 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



stretched at full length on the grass, suddenly sprang 
up quick and noiseless as a greyhound, and, going a 
few steps, seemed to peer into the darkness. I listened, 
and could hear nothing, but his wonderful ear had 
caught the sound of distant voices, and his companions, 
though even to them there was nothing as yet audible \ 
were instantly on the alert, for there was some little 
doubt who the men might be whose voices Achia 
heard. They were probably our friends coming up the 
valley, but, on the other hand, they might be Suene- 
tians, w T ho had crossed the Nakra pass and were on 
their way down to Urusbieh. Now Suenetians are 
children of nature, that is, of nature such as Mr. Mill 
understood it to be ; and in this remote part of the 
valley it was just as well to be prepared for any atten- 
tion they might wish to pay us. I do not at all mean 
to say that raids are made into the Baksan valley, or 
that, as a matter of course, Suenetians would fall upon 
us and try to rob us; but being close to their own 
country, with retreat so easy, the temptation might be 
too great for poor, frail human nature to withstand, 
and moral principle, no less than a regard for our own 
safety, made it imperative that we should seem and be 
prepared. I made out what was the matter from 
hearing the native word for Suenetian pass between 
our men. 

The possibility that a deadly struggle may be close 
at hand gives a strange feeling. I believe that most 
men who have experienced it would confess, if they 



A FALSE ALARM. 



217 



held to the naked truth, that the sensation was not 
a pleasant one. In like case once before I heard a 
sailor say, after his fashion, what seemed to me to 
express that which many a man, not a coward, has felt 
when making ready for the fight. Many years ago, 
during the Russian war, I was a midshipman on board 
a frigate cruising off the island of Saghalin, in the 
sea of Okhotsk. We were on the look out for 
H.M.S. Encounter, which was in those waters, and 
there was also considerable chance of our meeting a 
Russian frigate. About five o'clock one morning in a 
thick fog a large craft was sighted on the weather-bow. 
There were few sail in those seas at that time, and we 
had very little doubt that this was either the Encounter 
or a Russian. Said the captain of one of the guns to 
me, while we were uncertain whether we were to meet a 
friend or have a frigate action, 6 I don't know how you 
feel, Mr. Grove, but I'll tell you how I do. I feel in 
a blasted funk, but I mean to fight my gun the best 
I can, by God.' The vessel turned out to be the En- 
counter, so that he was relieved from the necessity of 
fighting his gun at all ; but I think he would have 
kept his word. 

I hope that we should have borne ourselves well if 
it had been necessary to do battle with Suenetians, but 
we had no opportunity of determining this, for after a 
very short suspense the unerring Achia distinguished 
the voices of his fellows, and in a little time Moore, 
with a number of Caucasians, some of whom bore the 



218 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



much-desired loaves, joined us. There were with 
him the elder and greater, two other brothers, with 
several retainers, and some of our porters, so that we 
were a large company. The Caucasians had meant to 
pass the night in the swarming chalet, but finding that 
we were going to sleep on the grass, they immediately 
determined to do the same, flung themselves down 
round the huge fire with the unconscious grace they 
often show, and devoted themselves for a time to un- 
flagging conversation. 

It was a strangely beautiful scene that night's 
bivouac. The tiny meadow in the dark forest; the 
splendid looking Caucasians sitting and lying round 
the strong flame; altogether a sight so picturesque and 
so perfect that it seemed impossible to believe that it 
was a real bond fide camp of wild hunters and travel- 
lers who were not thinking the least how they looked. 
It was too like a picture, and seemed as if it must have 
been arranged by some great master of effect. 

Heavy mists gathered on the hill-sides in the even- 
ing, but everything cleared away during the night, and 
the sun rose on an unclouded sky. We were up at 
daybreak, and getting off after some little delay, fol- 
lowed the path which led partly through the wood and 
partly through open spaces towards the head of the 
valley. Shortly after leaving our sleeping-place, we 
passed the track leading to the Nakra pass, by which 
communication is principally maintained between the 
upper valley of the Baksan and Suenetia. The route 



THE TWO PEAKS SEEX. 



219 



is over a snow col of no apparent difficulty. Mr. 
Freshfield and his companions crossed this path in 1868, 
and we had intended to have come by it into the 
Baksan valley, if the weather had allowed us to get to 
Suenetia from the valley of Bezingi — dis aliter visum. 
The Xakra is not infrequently traversed by Suenetians. 
An hour and a quarter's walk from the camp brought 
us to the mouth of a lateral glen, up which we saw 
the two peaks of Elbruz, looking as if within about 
two hours' walk, as mountains are apt to do when seen 
from the valley. The eastern peak, which of course 
was the nearest to us, seemed to be a vast mound, just 
such as a volcano might be expected to produce, the 
further peak of which Ave could see comparatively little., 
being apparently flat-topped. By going up this glen, 
into which the south-eastern glacier of Elbruz descends, 
Mr. Freshfield and his companions reached in 1868 
the rocks on which they passed the night before, 
ascending the mountain. Acbia, however, now said 
that we should get much more easily to the same place 
by going up the next glen, that is, the one lying on the 
f urther side of the ridge forming the right bauk of 
the glen first seen. We accordingly continued our 
way along the valley for twenty minutes or so, and 
then halted at a small, very rough hut, placed in an 
open space near the foot of the glacier which fills the 
head of the valley of the Baksan. We had intention- 
ally come something beyond the mouth of the glen we 
were to ascend^ as this was a good place for leaving 



220 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



the horses which the Caucasians had brought with 
them. Over the glacier there is a pass to the country 
of the Karatchai, and this we had meant to cross after 
Elbruz ; but we had found that there would be a diffi- 
culty about getting porters ; the shortness of our time 
did not allow us to run the risk of having to turn back, 
so we had resolved to go round by the grass country 
to the north of Elbruz. The pass looked easy enough 
for men, but as to horses, Achia said that they could 
be driven over if a cold wind had hardened the snow, 
but that if it was soft they would probably be lost. 
So far as we saw it, the pass did not seem to be of any 
beauty. 

While we were looking at the glacier and making 
out the best line over it, we were aware of a certain 
excitement amongst the Caucasians who had at first 
been busy in cutting up a sheep for cooking, but who 
were now gazing intently on the great slope of grass 
and dull- coloured rocks opposite them on the northern 
side of the valley. It was the prospect of a hunt which 
moved them. Soon after we came to the hut, Achia's 
lynx- like eyes discovered far up on the slope two 
flecks of brown invisible to every one else. These he 
immediately pronounced to be bouquetin, and having 
with a very indifferent glass which he carried con- 
vinced himself that he was right, he started at once to 
stalk the game. Crossing the meadow to the foot of 
the slope, he ascended it with wonderful rapidity, and 
at the same time with admirable skill, twisting, screw- 



A B0UQUET1N STALKED. 221 



ing, and turning, so that some of the rocks or big 
stones which jutted out from, or were scattered over 
the hill-side, were always between him and the bouque- 
tin. This would not have been an easy thing to do if 
he could have taken his time over it, but at his pace 
it was in truth a noble stalk, such as a Highlander 
might have envied. Getting presently as high on the 
slope as the game was, but at a considerable distance to 
leeward of it, he turned and crept very stealthily, and a 
little more slowly than before, towards the unsuspecting 
bouquetin. Very hard it was to see the hunter now, 
for he was so far off as to seem no more than a tiny 
dark spot on the hill- side, and he constantly dis- 
appeared, as taking advantage of every bit of cover 
he warily stole towards his game. Finally he dis- 
appeared for some minutes in a wrinkle on the hill-side ; 
then a shot was heard, the hunter appeared for a 
moment, disappeared again, this time for a considerable 
period. Much divided in opinion as to whether he 
had killed or not, the Caucasians set to work to cook 
their food, while we, lying on the grass and looking 
at the unclouded sky, hoped earnestly that it might so 
remain until we had grappled with Minghi Tau. 

Just as they had done a loin to a turn, for at this 
rough cooking they were perfect, Achia appeared at a 
point far distant from that where he had last been 
seen, bearing on his shoulders a dead bouquetin. It 
was but a kid which he had killed, but his stalk had 
been a masterly one, and he was deservedly applauded 



222 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



by the others when he joined them for a jovial carouse 
on mutton and sour milk,, after which they had what 
doctors call some refreshing sleep. Rousing them after 
awhile from this, we persuaded them, with a little 
difficulty, to start ; and I had the satisfaction of observ- 
ing Moore's brow, which had for once darkened some- 
what, regain its habitual serenity. Like all good 
mountaineers he hates dawdling, and on this occasion 
the halt, being principally for the purpose of eating, 
had been, as it were, a practical protest against his 
views respecting mountain diet, at which he took very 
just umbrage. 

Retracing our steps a little way we entered the 
mouth of the glen, the first part of which was exceed- 
ingly steep. After toiling up very trying grass- slopes 
under a blazing sun for three-quarters of an hour, no 
man was sorry to find the rise of the glen become more 
gentle as its higher part was reached. It was a blank 
desolate place as the eye could rest on ; in very truth 
a 6 valley of rocks,' showing little but stones and debris. 
From the top of its left bank, however, Elbruz was 
very beautifully seen, and thence Walker took the 
photograph which has furnished the frontispiece to this 
book. The nearer of the two peaks is the eastern 
height of Elbruz ; that to the left, and further off, the 
western and, as is supposed, slightly higher summit. 
On this bank of the valley, close to its head, were 
some mounds of loose stones ; passing over these, and 
crossing a small patch of snow, we came to the rock 



ROCK PLATEAU. 223 

plateau where our camp for the night was to be. A 
better spot for a mountain bivouac could hardly be 
desired. The rock was fairly levels with some little 
depressions here and there, so that it would be easy to 
obtain shelter from the wind. A stream ran across 
the plateau, and in some places a little earth lay over 
the hard stones, so that it would be possible to get a 
fairly soft sleeping-place. Then the sight from the 
camp was a glorious one, for the height of the spot we 
had reached was 11,300 feet, and there was nothing 
to interrupt our view of the main chain. The position 
of the plateau is best described by saying that it is on 
the right bank of the south-eastern glacier of Elbruz, 
nearly on a level with the brow of its icefall. The place 
where Mr. Freshfielcl and his companions camped in 
1868 is slightly higher, but was now covered with 
snow. 

It was still early in the afternoon when we reached 
the sleeping-place, and having admired for some time 
the magnificent view, we were dining as doctors recom- 
mend men to dine, that is, off one dish, which in this 
case was brown bread, when a stately hunter suddenly 
appeared on the top of the nearest mound of stones, 
and coming down it crossed the patch of snow with a 
step as lithe and springy as AcmVs. What the 
splendid looking fellow could want puzzled us much, 
for he was not of our party, and Caucasians are little 
given to taking afternoon strolls on the mountain-side. 
He made straight for the elder and greater brother, 



224 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



and after an animated conversation, without which 
nothing is ever done in the Caucasus, handed him a 
letter, which was forthwith given to Moore. It was 
from Lieutenant BernofF, who with Lieutenant Kwitka 
had arrived at Urusbieh at ten that morning (the 27th), 
and who now wrote to Moore telling him that he and 
his companion intended leaving Urusbieh as soon as 
they had taken a little rest, and that they earnestly 
begged us not to start for the ascent without them. 

Now this was a very pretty dilemma. We had 
previously determined to leave our camp at one the 
next morning — i.e., the morning of July 28 — as it was 
certain we should have small chance of traversing 
the vast snow-fields of Elbruz unless we started some 
time before sunrise. The Russian officers had ridden 
all night to reach Urusbieh. To get to our camp from 
that place they would have a ride of some five hours 
more up the valley, and then a walk of four up the 
lateral glen. They might succeed in joining us that 
night, but it was obvious that if they did so they 
would be utterly unfit to begin the ascent of Elbruz at 
one in the morning. To allow men who had been 
eighteen or nineteen hours on horseback, and had 
then walked up a valley in part very steep, to start 
for a mountain 18,526 feet high, was simply to 
allow them to go to certain failure, and we thought 
that it would be most unfair, almost dishonour- 
able, to let them begin the ascent, when we knew 
that it would be absolutely impossible that they 



A DIFFICULTY. 



225 



could succeed. On the other hand, if we delayed a 
day for them, and did not attempt Elbruz until the 
29th, we ran considerable chance of missing the ascent 
altogether. The evening was beautiful, and the beauty 
was of that kind which augurs well for the morrow. 
The barometer, after marking the height we had 
reached, remained steady, and everything seemed to 
promise a glorious day. Now if there is one article 
of faith more deeply rooted than any other in the 
mountaineers' creed, it is that fine weather should never 
be lost. 

A flower there is that shineth "bright, 

Some call it marigold-a ; 
He that wold not v/hen he might, 

He shall when he wold-a. 

Many an Alpine climber has regretted letting a 
day of sunshine go by in the belief that the next would 
prove of like brightness. After having journeyed so 
far that Ave might ascend the great mountain, to 
dawdle at its base while all was fair, and then to be 
defeated by snowstorm or gale, would be intolerable, 
and we felt sure that Elbruz was a mountain of which 
the summit would be utterly inaccessible to man in 
bad weather. What happened afterwards altogether 
justified our anxiety to seize a favourable day. 

On the other hand, we did not at all like to desert 
the Russians who had come so far to set foot on the 
snows of Minghi Tau, so we were sorely puzzled and 
in much doubt what to do, until the difficulty was 

Q 



22G 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



solved^, as difficulties often are. by the self-sacrifice of 
one of the party. Moore, on the ground that he had 
told Lieutenant BernofF that we should not leave 
Urusbieh until the 28th, and that he had made the 
ascent in 1868, resolved to remain behind while 
Walker, Gardiner, and I assaulted the mountain 
next morning (the 28th), and to go up w r ith the Rus- 
sians on the 29th. I very much regret to say that, by 
this arrangement, Moore lost for the season the ascent 
of Elbruz. 

The engraving, on the opposite page, of the huge 
mountain Tungsorun, which rises at the head of the 
valley of the Baksan, is from a photograph which was 
taken during the afternoon from a spot near our camp. 
We saw this mountain from many points of view, and 
it appeared to us possible, though by no means certain, 
that its summit might be reached. 

I wish that it was in my power to give the reader 
any idea, any hint, any inkling of the glories of sunset 
as seen from our high resting-place ; but even writers 
of a real descriptive power to which I can lay no claim, 
have failed to record in words which should tell aught 
to others what they looked on when the day went 
down on the great mountains. Who can describe the 
colour and radiance of the changing sky, the majesty 
of the mighty range, or its glorious beauty as the sun- 
set reddened its snows ? Such a scene cannot be ren- 
dered in words becoming in any attempt to describe it 
a, caput mortuum, a dull rhapsody, leaving the impres- 



START FOR THE SUMMIT. 



227 



sion of a long catalogue of peaks and ridges hopelessly 
mixed with an account of the solar spectrum. 

As has been said, there were good sleeping-places 
on the plateau, the rock of which was here and there 
covered with a ligdit bed of earth, not exactly such as 
would have delighted a Norfolk farmer, but pleasantly- 
soft to lie upon after a number of stones had been 
picked out of it. At half-past twelve the reveillez 
was sounded for Elbruz, and we got up, happily sur- 
prised to find that, in spite of a high wind, the tem- 
perature was by no means so low as we had expected. 
On mountains, even more than elsewhere, the coldest 
time seems to be just before dawn. We none of us 
felt the cold at all when we got up, but Moore suf- 
fered greatly from it some two hours and a half later 
when daylight was at hand. 

At 1 a.m. Walker, Gardiner, Peter Knubel, and 
I started. The direct course was over a snow grat 
above the rocky plateau, but the bank leading to this 
was steep, and to have ascended it would have required 
some little time ; so, to turn the obstacle we struck to 
the right, and made our way over short slopes of snow 
broken by little ridges of rock. Turning to the left 
after we had passed these, we found ourselves on the 
vast south-eastern snowfield of Elbruz, and over this 
our course lay towards the summit, the position of 
which I will now attempt to explain. The two peaks of 
the mountain lie, according to the Russian map, south- 
east by south and north-west by north of each other, but 

Q 2 



228 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



I am almost certain that these bearings are not accurate, 
and think it highly probable that more careful exa- 
mination will show that the peaks are nearly east and 
west of each other. It was impossible, however,, for 
reasons which will be stated further on, to take an 
accurate observation with the compass on the summit, 
so that I am not able to state precisely the relative 
position of the twin heights, but we all came to the 
conclusion that the bearing was close to east and west, 
and therefore they have been and will be spoken of as 
the eastern and western peaks. 

Of these the eastern was the nearest to our camp- 
ing-place, the western height lying beyond it. As 
seen from a point near the snow grat, they appeared 
much as they do in the woodcut from Walker's pho- 
tograph, the western peak being to the left of and 
partly hidden by the other, which was surrounded by a 
vast snowfi eld undulating in gentle slopes of varying in- 
clination. What we could see of the side of the western 
eminence was rather steep, but not enough so to offer 
any serious obstacle. The top was apparently flat and 
of some extent. The other peak appeared to be a 
gently-sloping cone. I speak of these two heights as 
peaks for brevity's sake, but they would be more accu- 
rately described by calling one a flat-topped mountain, 
and the other a vast mound. The western one, that is, 
the table mountain, was our object. It is the highest 
of the two according to the Russian survey, topping its 
brother, however, only by ninety-five feet; but as being 



HUGE SNOW-SLOPES. 



229 



the loftiest, though only in very small degree, this 
western summit we desired to win, and for it we 
sought to shape our course. It appeared clear that we 
should do this best by ascending the vast snow-field 
surrounding the lower peak, trending continually to 
the left, so as to skirt round it to a point some 1,500 
feet below the summit. From this point w r e could 
reach the col between the two peaks. It was obvious 
that we should not see the col until we were close upon 
it, and there was some danger that we might get too 
high, and find it beneath us when we came in sight of 
it, but we had reasons for supposing that it was of 
great height, and in every mountain expedition some- 
thing must be left to chance. Skirting the mountain 
lower down might involve considerable loss of time. 

Our course lay then over the vast field of snow- 
covered glacier surrounding the eastern peak, and for 
some hours we ascended the huge slopes of neve, trend- 
ing continually to our left. Obstacles we found none 
whatever; but it was a wearisome and monotonous 
walk. There was, indeed, about an hour and a half 
from the camp, a crevasse to be passed, which in a 
warm season might give some trouble, but now it was 
so narrow that we crossed it as easily as might be ; in 
fact, we did not find what by any possibility could be 
called a difficult step between the grat and the foot of 
the final slope of the western peak. It was simply a 
long wearisome trudge over a vast, gently-rising field 
of snow r . 



230 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



Now this may seem a very trifling thing to those 
who have never sought the high mountains, but men 
who have been much in the Alps know that there is- 
nothing more tiring and more depressing than a long 
ascent over snow-slopes. The work is exhausting, and 
at the same time utterly unexciting. There is severe 
labour for the body, while the mind remains totally 
unoccupied, the result being deep sadness and great 
disgust at the whole of creation, and at that miserable 
little atom of it the ego in particular. For once the 
thick screen which interposes between a man's reason 
and his estimate of himself is lifted. He sees himself a$ 
others see him, and wonders much that anybody could 
ever breathe a prayer for such a gift. All the* follies he 
may recently have committed stand out before him in 
vivid colours, and pre-eminent is that transcendent one 
of going up a mountain. How he ever came to commit 
such an act of idiotcy ; how, having once done it, he 
ever came to repeat it, and what inclined him on this 
occasion to attempt this particularly detestable peak,, 
are questions which his conscience asks him with odious 
pertinacity. Something definite, however, does spring 
from his misery. A lingering feeling of self-respect 
makes him persevere for the day — indeed he spurns 
the thought of giving in on this occasion ; but nothing, 
he swears, shall ever tempt him on to the weary slopes 
again ; and in this state of mind he remains until more 
exciting work distracts him from morbid thoughts, or 
until arrival at the summit restores that sound and 



AN EASTERN SUNRISE. 



231 



wholesome vanity without which there would perhaps 
be small amount of successful effort either in moun- 
tain expeditions or in much greater things. Tc con- 
tempt for his folly in coming on to the snow, succeeds 
admiration for the calm English resolution which has 
made him persevere so long on the laborious way„ 
Evil resolutions vanish, self-complacency comes back 
with a cheerful glow, and the only question is how 
soon it will be practicable to ascend another peak. 

Now the slopes of Elbruz were of this tedious and 
wearying nature. Exceedingly gentle at first, they 
were nowhere steep, but owing to the great height which 
was soon reached, and to the absolute monotony of the 
labour, the ascent was trying, and was made the more 
so by the cold which, as sunrise drew near, became in- 
tense. Fortunately the wind had subsided, or a fair 
amount of frost-bite must have been inevitable. After 
four hours' going, having risen more than four thousand 
feet, we halted for a few minutes at a patch of rocks 
which cropped up through the great desert of snow at 
about the height of the top of Mont Blanc. And 
here came one of those boons, more than recompensing 
for cold and labour, which are sometimes granted to the 
faithful who seek high places. We gazed on a sight 
of almost indescribable beauty. The sun was rising, 
and the eastern sky was all aflame. The moon, which 
was nearly full, was setting on the mountains just at 
the time of dawn, and for a moment the heavens w r ere 
divided between the dead beauty of night and the light 



232 THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



and glory of the coming day. Wonderful too, even 
amid the entrancing splendour of the scene, was the vast 
shadow of Elbruz thrown by the rising sun to a great 
height on the western sky. But this soon was filled 
with light. Day prevailed as the pale satellite disap- 
peared among clouds of sable and silver, and a contrast 
such as not one of us had ever seen was ended. Re- 
membering that there were still 3,000 feet between us 
and the summit, we started again, after halting a few 
minutes only, and continued the ascent of the snow- 
field, trending rather more than before to the left. Hav- 
ing risen some 1,500 feet higher, we came in sight, about 
an hour and a half after we left the rocks, of the col 
between the two summits. It was close to us and a 
little above us, and after walking at a level along the 
easy slope which intervened between us and it, we 
halted to rest for awhile at a point about 200 feet be- 
low the actual col. 

We were now at the foot of the final incline lead- 
ing to the edge of the flat top of the western peak. The 
slope rose before us, steep but not forbidding. Consi- 
derably to our left, that is, to the south, were some pre- 
cipices, but in front of us there was nothing to give 
any difficulty, so we were able to rest with light hearts 
— indeed, with too light hearts ; for, owing to the hard 
work and to the thin air, that important part of one's 
organisation seemed to be performing a wild dance of 
which the time, if there was any, was decidedly irre- 
gular. The place where we thus halted in the little 



COL BETWEEN THE PEAKS. 



233 



valley between the two peaks was over 17,000 feet 
high, but how much over we could not tell. Walker 
had brought with him an excellent aneroid, graduated 
up to 20,000 feet, and this instrument marked our as- 
cent with great steadiness until we had reached a height 
of 17,000 feet and were close to our halting-place 
under the col. On arriving there, however, we found 
that the needle had jumped to the extreme height it 
could mark, nor would any cunning taps or shakes 
cause it to depart from these obviously incorrect 
figures. After 17,000 feet, therefore, we could only 
guess at the heights we attained until we reached the 
summit. We halted, as I have said, at a point some 
200 feet below the col, and I am inclined to think that 
we had not then risen more than 150 feet since the 
barometer gave its last accurate reading. The col, 
therefore, would be about 17,350 feet above the sea. 
Our halting-place will easily be recognised by any 
future traveller, as it is at the base of a ridge of rocks 
which runs for some distance up the slope of the 
western peak. Close to the foot of this ridge is a large 
boulder, on which a very pleasant bask in the sun may 
be taken. It is possible that, in another season, much 
of the slope of the western peak which we found snow- 
covered will be bare rock, as there was at the time 
of our ascent an unusual quantity of snow on the 
mountain. 

After about half an hour's halt we started up this 
final slope, which presented the only difficulty, if cliffi- 



234 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



culty it could be called, which we encountered. First 
we climbed the rocks I have mentioned ; these were 
firm and easy as any rocks could be. From the point 
where they ended we ascended for awhile the snow-slope, 
which, though not very steep, was still steep enough 
to require some step-cutting ; but this did not last 
long, for we soon came to an easy little ridge of rock, 
after scaling which we took to the snow again, cutting 
a few steps here and there, but generally kicking them. 
Ascending in this way the moderate incline, we came, 
at the head of it, to a cornice, through which we made 
our way without difficulty, and found ourselves on 
the edge of a great field of neve, the covering of a 
mighty extinct crater, the rim of which we had reached. 
A little peak rising from this rim on the north-east was 
clearly the highest point of the great mountain. 

For some time before we attained the crater's edge 
it had become clear to me that the peak we were as- 
cending was not the same as that of which Mr. Fresh- 
field and his companions reached the top ; that they 
had, in fact, gone up the eastern peak, which, accord- 
ing to the Russian survey, is by a very slight differ- 
ence the lower of the two. That huge cone they found 
to be undoubtedly volcanic, the crater on the top being 
most clearly marked. It was of course in the highest 
degree probable that the western peak would prove to 
be also volcanic, but it was interesting to verify the 
fact, and most pleasant to find ourselves on virgin 
snows. Delight in reaching an untrodden summit may 



AN EXTINCT CRATER. 



235 



seem a childish pleasure to many, but never to those 
who have once experienced it. 

The western crater considerably exceeds in size 
that on the twin summit, and is probably about 
three-quarters of a mile in diameter. The wall is 
perfect for some two-thirds of its former circuit, but 
on the south-west side a vast piece has fallen away, 
and a great glacier now flows down from the gap. 
Terrible indeed must have been the throes of that 
eruption which rent this immense fragment from the 
mountain-side ; but there were no human beings 
then to be affrighted at the fearful beacon. For 
time immeasurable the crater has been peaceful. 
Ice has taken the place of lava, and over the scoriae 
and debris which fill the great cavity nature has cast 
a thick mantle of eternal snow. 

The field of neve which covers what was once the 
crater rises towards the east almost to a level with the 
rim, but sinks rapidly towards the south-western gap, 
the crater-wall rising considerably above the snow- 
field. The little peak which is the actual summit of 
the mountain juts up on the north-eastern segment of 
the rim, and was afterwards clearly distinguished by 
us from the village of Utchkuian in the Karatchai 
country. As we rested for a few moments on the snow 
before going to this absolute highest point, I had an 
opportunity of cogitating on the question of the rarity 
of the air, which had been forcing itself on my notice 
during the latter part of the ascent. About rarefied 



236 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



air many mistakes have been made, as all versed in 
Alpine story know. In former days, when moun- 
taineering was not so well understood as it is now, 
men attributed to rarefaction the exhaustion which 
came from their not being sufficiently strong or prac- 
tised for the w r ork they had to do. Nowadays those 
who ascend mountains know that if they are, as the 
phrase goes, 'in good condition, 9 they will not suffer 
from the rarity of the air on the highest peaks of the 
Alps ; and if a man complains of it he is usually looked 
upon as trying to put the fact that he is knocked 
up in a way agreeable to himself. But obviously on 
mountains higher than the Alps there must be a limit 
at which the thinness of the air will begin to tell even 
on the most powerful and best-trained men. It may 
be taken for granted that no human being could walk 
to the top of Mount Everest. Indeed, the fatal bal- 
loon ascent from Paris seems to show that the air is 
too thin to sustain life at a point a good deal lower 
than the top of that mountain. At what height, then, 
I asked myself, is this limit ? Was the unusual ex- 
haustion of which I had been conscious after we had 
passed 17,000 feet due to fatigue or to the thin air? 
Out of a party of four, three were decidedly affected, 
Gardiner and Peter Knubel suffering considerably 
during the latter part of the ascent, though not so 
much as I did. Walker, however, was not in the least 
exhausted, though he was afflicted with bleeding at the 
nose. At the moment it certainly seemed impossible, 



RARITY OF THE AIR. 



237 



judging from what I felt myself, not to attribute our 
woes to rarefaction ; but I am now of opinion that our 
prostration was due principally to our not being in fit 
bodily condition for severe walking, and only in a small 
degree, if at all, to the thinness of the air. I believe 
that a well-trained man, with a heart strong and regu- 
lar in its action, will not, if accustomed to mountains, 
suffer from the rarity of the air at heights under 
18,500 feet when walking up slopes of gentle inclina- 
tion. With heavier labour it might be different. My 
reasons for this belief are : — 

First, we found, as men have so often done in the 
Alps, that the exhaustion vanished, to a great extent, 
at an early stage in the descent. Secondly, one of 
the party was not at all affected. Thirdly, when Mr. 
Freshfield and his companions ascended the eastern 
peak, which is all but equal in height to that we were 
on, not one of the party felt any unusual exhaustion. 
They were six in number — three Englishmen, a Cha- 
mouni guide, and two Caucasians. It is impossible to 
believe that they were all men blessed with exceptional 
hearts and lungs. I am disposed to think then that 
the prostration of which three of us were conscious was 
due to the wearing effect of snow-walking on men ( out 
of condition.' The constant wetting we had under- 
gone, together with the enforced abstinence from any 
kind of wine whatever, and the total change of diet, 
were enough to account for our not being in proper 
training for good mountain work. 



:238 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



But it would have been a weary man indeed who 
would have failed to reach the highest point of the 
mountain after once the rim of the crater had been 
gained. The little peak or tooth rises, as I have said, 
from the north-eastern part of this, which we had 
struck from the south-east, and we had therefore to go 
round inside the rim for some distance ; but the way 
was almost level. With victory in our grasp, then, we 
walked across the snow, which might almost be looked 
on as the winding-sheet of the dead volcano, passing 
at one point a sight of beauty, the like of which 
I had never seen on any mountain. A small pin- 
nacle jutted up close to the edge, and the wind had 
driven the loose snow against this little column and 
had there twined it, strange to say, into ribands and 
wreaths which in festoons of rare beauty thickly 
covered the pinnacle from top to base. It might have 
been Lot's wife, supposing her to have been in gala 
dress at the time of her mishap. Going on, after 
pausing for a moment to look at this strange thing, 
we came to the foot of the little peak which may have 
been from a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet in 
height. Mounting its easy slope, we stood at last on 
the summit of Elbruz. 

The day was perfectly clear. There was no cloud 
in the sky, nor any haze on the horizon ; and I think 
man could hardly desire or hope for a more glorious 
sight than that which we gazed on from the crest of 
the great mountain. Standing at the end of a pro- 



VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. 



229 



montoiy jutting out from the main chain, Elbruz 
gives a vantage ground from which the mighty range 
of the Caucasus is seen, not confusedly as it would be 
from a peak in the midst of it, but distinctly as a line 
of battle would be seen from a flag-ship in front of the 
rest. All the great peaks stood out clear in their 
stern majesty of form. Near at hand was the double- 
headed giant, Usch-Ba; then a range of nameless 
Titans, and then many leagues away, but sharp in 
outline as though seen from the Urban glacier, the 
mighty Kotchan Tau and the lesser heights of Dych 
Tau and Tau Tetnuld. Beyond these again peak 
after peak, until the eye rested on a pinnacle which I 
think to have been Kasbek. That mountain is some 
hundred and twenty miles from Elbruz, but it is 
possible that we looked on a crest separated from us 
hy a space much greater even than this. Ear, far 
away towards Persia I could, as I fancied, just make 
out very faintly a snow summit, and if this was real 
and not imagined it must have been the crown of 
Ararat. Very likely it was a mere fleck of white cloud, 
but it is said that Elbruz has been seen from Ararat; 
and if this be true, that summit must have been visible 
on a day of such marvellous clearness. To the south 
the huge valleys could be partly seen over the crest of 
the main chain, and towards the south-west the Black 
Sea could be clearly distinguished. To the north was 
the green country, the grassy ridges rising one behind 
the other like the waves of the sea, until afar off one 



240 



THE ASCENT OF ELBRUZ. 



of them crowned by a low rampart of rock seemed 
to mark the boundary of the great plains of Russia. 
Altogether the view from the highest point of Elbruz 
was even grander and more beautiful than I had 
expected^ and greatly surpassed anything I had ever 
looked on in the course of many years' wandering in 
the high Alps. 

But it was not merely the variety and beauty of 
the glorious spectacle which were impressive. Stand- 
ing there close to the boundary between Asia and 
Europe, came the thought of the ancient but fast de- 
clining races on the one hand, and, on the other, of that 
mighty country as yet in its youth, whose huge future 
power for good or evil is now but beginning to be re- 
cognised by men. Then, as if in mockery of the 
vanity of all things human, there were the ashes of the 
dead volcano strewn around to tell of vast cycles of 
time, compared with which even those great periods 
which mark the rise and fall of empires are but as the 
running; of the sands in an hourglass. 



241 



CHAPTER IX. 

RETURN TO URUSBIEH — THE WAYS OF THE 
CAUCASIANS. 

Descent of Elbruz —Contemplated ascent of the mountain by Moore and 
the Russian officers next day — Descent to the valley — Caucasian 
chatter — The evening after a high ascent — Return to Urusbieh — 
Prince Mohammed — The ways of the Caucasians — Their powers of 
endurance as compared with those of the Swiss — Caucasian dress — 
Return of the Russian officers and Moore — Their expedition on El- 
bruz — Prince Mohammed's account of a great forest country — Its 
position — A delicate question between us and our hosts — Their fare- 
well. 

It will have been seen from the foregoing account, 
that Elbruz, though a tiring mountain, presents no 
difficulty to the mountaineer. The ascent is indeed 
nothing but a steady trudge, save where the way lies 
over the slope leading from the point just below the 
col to the rim of the crater. There we had, as has 
been said, to cut some steps, and in coming down these 
a little care was necessary, but the difficulty was as 
slight as could be for men at all accustomed to moun- 
tains. How it might be with those who had no expe- 
rience of snow or ice work, I can hardly say, for it is 
not easy to allow sufficiently for the ingenuity which 
unpractised men show in their attempts — often success- 
ful — to do themselves injury. It is just possible that, 

R 



242 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



by sedulous carelessness, a roll over could be brought 
about on this slope, which however, would perhaps in 
another season, be entirely different. It might be 
hard ice, or the ridges of rock might be bare all the 
way to the summit. In the summer of 1874 there 
was an unusual quantity of snow on all the great peaks 
of the Caucasus. 

On the summit we were only able to remain for 
twenty minutes. So far as clearness went, the day 
was all that could possibly be desired, but the wind 
had some strength, and this made it so bitterly cold on 
a summit 18,526 feet high, that it w r as impossible to 
stay there long. Indeed, as it was, one of the party 
was frost-bitten. Coming down the little peak, and 
going to the place where we had struck the rim, we 
descended the slope, and rested for a time at our pre- 
vious halting-place, which being sheltered from the 
breeze was perfectly warm. It was about noon. 
We had arrived at the highest point at 10.40, having 
left the camp at 1 a.m., so that the ascent had taken 
us nine hours and forty minutes ; but probably the 
mountain might be scaled in a shorter time than this, 
as our progress over the last part of the way had been 
very leisurely. We had plenty of time to spare, and 
I certainly had reasons for particularly disliking undue 
haste. I believe that the ascent of Elbruz might be 
made in from eight hours to eight hours and a half. 
The descent, as will presently be seen, can be effected 
very quickly after the slope below the rim has been 
passed. 



MR. FRESHFIELUS ASCENT. 



243 



That the peak we had ascended was not the same 
as that scaled by Mr. Freshfield and his companions in 
1868; I had no doubt whatever, and Walker and Gar- 
diner were of the same opinion. When we compared 
J notes afterwards with Mr. Freshfield and Mr. Moore, 
they also came to the conclusion that the summit we 
stood on was not the same as that which they had 
reached, and it may be considered as certain that they 
ascended eastern, we the western peak. 1 Of these the 
latter is, according to the five-verst map, the higher 
by 95 feet. This is a sufficiently small fraction of 
18,526 feet, the height of the western summit, but I 
doubt whether even this small difference exists. When 
we stood on the western summit the other appeared 
to be on a level with us, and I believe that careful ob- 
servations would show the two peaks to be almost 
exactly equal in height. Until observations are made, 
however, the five-verst map, as embodying the only 
survey yet made of the country, must be taken to be 
correct, and the western summit must be assumed to 
be the higher one. 

From it what appeared to be the highest point of 
the other summit bore east by south, but when the 
tops of mountains are of considerable extent — if the 
expression may be allowed — it is obvious that one 
bearing is not likely to show even approximately their 
relative position. To have ascertained this would 

1 This peak was entirely hidden by the clouds at the time of Mr. 
Freshfield' s ascent. 

r 2 



244 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



have taken far more time than that during which we 
were able to remain on the summit. After leaving the 
halting-place by the col, the descent was nothing but a 
quick and easy walk down the huge slopes of the moun- 
tain ; the snow being in such good order that until we 
were nearly at the end of our course, we were able to 
make a very rapid march. The camp was reached at 
three, the whole descent from the summit having 
occupied only four hours, and as we got back so early 
we determined to go down to the valley that night. 
The two Russian officers had arrived shortly after we 
had left in the morning, Exhausted by their long 
journey, they could not of course have started with 
the slightest chance of success, or indeed of reaching 
any considerable height on the mountain ; but appa- 
rently they were not destined to lose the ascent, for 
the weather was to all seeming likely to be perfect, 
and everything promised well for the expedition next 
day. The band which was to leave the camp would 
be six in number, and would be of a composite or inter- 
national character, as there would be in it an English- 
man, two Russians, two Caucasians, and a Swiss. 
They were to start, as we had done, at one in the 
morning, and the arrangement seemed good to all 
except poor Peter Knubel, who was wofully tired, and 
felt by no means certain that he could ascend Elbruz 
two days running. However, he promised to do what 
he could, and then, after the fashion of guides, went to 
sleep, although the afternoon was yet young ; while we 



CAUCASIAN CHATTER. 



245 



started for the valley, after wishing Moore and his 
companions good-speed. Alas, what had been our 
good fortune was their curse. The extraordinary 
clearness of the day, owing to which Ave were able to see 
objects at so great a distance, was the sign of a coming 
change, as remarkable transparency of the atmosphere 
so often is. Next day the weather had lost its sere- 
nity, and a furious storm broke on the peaks of 
Minghi Tau. We strolled down towards the valley, 
straggling as men frequently do when they have 
escaped from the enforced regularity which the rope 
necessitates in mountain walking; and, getting behind 
my companions, I joined some of our porters who were 
going down, and we picked out the worst possible way 
with singular unanimity. After we had descended 
part of the glen, we met, on their way back to the 
camp, two of our men who had been sent down for 
provisions. Now my fellows having been separated 
from these their comrades for six or eight hours, an 
interchange of ideas was absolutely needful, so they 
all sat down on the grass for conversational purposes, 
and for some time every man spoke at once, including 
myself, for I confess that I did use what Byron calls 
our ' shibboleth,' in the hope of getting the laggards 
on ; but I might as well have tried to sing the trees 
down the hill-side, like Orpheus. To Caucasians, who 
regard talking as the most pleasurable thing in life, 
the fact that a man talks loudly only proves that he is 
enjoying himself rather more thoroughly than usual, 



246 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



and is showing his pleasure just as a dog does when 
he barks on being taken out for a walk. Accordingly, 
when I shouted at the porters, they merely suspended 
their chat for a moment to turn towards me with the 
most gracious and wanning smiles, wishing to intimate, 
I believe, that they were glad I was having my say 
too, though sorry I could not join in the general con- 
versation. I went on my way therefore without them, 
and the right line for getting out of the glen being 
somewhat hard to follow, very speedily lost that way ; 
but I succeeded in finding another, and after struggling 
down some treacherous grass slopes, and crossing the 
stream at the wrong place, came in sight of the little 
chalet whence there rose a sweetly suggestive smoke. 
On getting to the hut I found Walker and Gardiner 
already arrived, the admirable Paul hard at work cook- 
ing, with the meek chief of the village and the pleasant 
young Ismail looking on. Whence the two last had 
come we knew not, but all the members of the family 
had a trick of vanishing and reappearing at unexpected 
moments, which we thought an agreeable characteristic 
of theirs, as giving variety to a day. 

Going up a big mountain is an act of smallest im- 
portance to the world, and does not, like knowledge of 
Greek or high birth, entitle a man to think himself 
very much better than his fellows ; but nevertheless 
on the evening after a high ascent there is a warm 
feeling of exultation which could hardly be surpassed 
if a great object had been achieved, There is the 



REST AFTER THE ASCENT. 



247 



thought that a good piece of work has been done and 
that rest is well earned, and a humble likeness of that 
deserved repose which comes after success in much larger 
enterprises. Indeed it may be that one of the principal 
reasons of the attractiveness of mountain expeditions is, 
that they present a little picture of the great and 
serious efforts of life. One thing they certainly have 
in common with these. A man who starts to go up a 
mountain must concentrate all his energies on gaining 
the summit, must determine that, whether he did well 
to embark on the enterprise or not, he will now that he 
has entered on it persevere to the very end and fullest 
extent of his powers ; that, though there be weariness, 
discomfort, or suffering, he will not entertain the 
thought of turning back, so long as upward progress is 
possible. Yielding, even for a moment, is instinctively 
abhorrent to those who care for mountains, as in all 
likelihood it ever is to those who earnestly seek to be 
successful in achievements of real importance. The 
enjoyment then, in miniature, of the content which 
comes after a vigorous and successful struggle filled 
us that evening, though our self-complacent happiness 
was rather disturbed by one trifling matter, When 
starting on our journey, we had determined that each 
man should take up his bed and walk, that is, that we 
would carry our sleeping-bags on our own proper 
shoulders ; but this good intention had gone to make a 
certain pavement, of which a great deal ought to be 
down by this time, and in practice we always gave our 



248 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



bags to the porters, or put them on the horses. Now 
this even in 2: our bagofaffe was in charge of the chatter- 
boxes whom I had left on the hill-side, and it was ex- 
ceedingly doubtful when they would appear, or whether 
they would appear at all that night. A lodging on the 
cold ground, especially if that ground is of a marshy 
character, is more pleasant in story than fact. J ust as 
we were giving them up, however, two hours or so 
after 1 got in, the porters arrived, all the better appa- 
rently for their little talk, and still full of running — so 
far as conversation went. 

We got up at daybreak next morning, and were 
soon on our way back to Urusbieh, passing through the 
beautiful woodlands, by the roaring stream, and 
catching again the wonderful glimpses of seemingly 
inaccessible peaks up the lateral glens. We stopped 
for a little while at one point on the road where there 
is a noble view of the western end of Tungsorun, 
which is to the upper valley of the Baksan what the 
Breithorn is to St. Nicolas Thai. After the wood 
came the rather dull meadow-land, crossing which we 
halted for a few moments at a farmhouse to pledge a 
cordial peasant in sour milk. His wife was pacing up 
and down the roof of the house gorgeous in a jacket of 
yellow silk, but his eldest daughter, a handsome child 
of twelve or thirteen years old, who came out with 
him, had so little on that I verily believe the Lord 
Chamberlain would have swooned dead at the sight of 
her, as Dante swooned at the sight of the Rimini. The 



RETURN TO 



URUSBIEm 



249 



flowing, or I should rather say the curdling, bowl 
having been drained, we shook hands with the damsel's 
good-natured father and went on our way down the 
valley, passed over the old moraine, and reached 
Urusbieh at one o'clock. 

The morning had been fine — at least, fine in the 
valley — but there was not the absolute serenity of the 
previous day. Fleecy clouds of no good augury were 
sailing across the sky at a sadly quick rate, which told 
of a strong wind in the high regions. Just before we 
reached Urusbieh a slight shower fell. It looked as if 
this was a turning day, and as if bad weather was at 
hand, but apparently it was fine enough for an ascent, 
and we trusted that Moore and his companions had 
reached the top of Elbruz while all was yet fair. The 
wind appeared to be increasing, however, and w r e were 
not without fear that they w r ould suffer from it during 
the descent, for a high wind on a mountain like 
Elbruz might cause terrible cold. 

The meek chief and the young prince had galloped 
on ahead of us, so there had been plenty of time for the 
villagers to get ready to resume their steady and minute 
observation of the strangers. The usual crowd poured 
into the house after us, and the curiosity was as intense 
as though we had just entered Urusbieh for the first time. 
In like manner we had found at Bezingi that absence 
seemed to make interest, if possible, keener. The 
villagers were excited about Elbruz, for the conversa- 
tion was exceedingly lively, and again and again was 



250 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



the word Minghi-Tau repeated. Presently a pleasant 
chief, whom we had not yet seen, came into the room 
to greet us. He was Mohammed, a younger brother 
of the elder Ismail, and one of the three princes of 
Urusbieh. He had returned during our absence. 
Like the rest of the village aristocrats, he was a very 
agreeable fellow, and he was a fine-looking man even 
for a Caucasian. He was extremely anxious to hear 
all about the great mountain, of which he seemed to 
know more than most of the men of Urusbieh did, 
although he had never attempted the ascent ; but he 
did not stay long, for he saw, with a tact not always to 
be found among more civilised men, that we were tired 
and wanted to rest. Rising to go, he said with a 
6 graceful Oriental bend ' to us, somewhat grubby 
after our expedition, and worthy, I should say, of 
small homage, 6 1 am much concerned that I was not 
here when you arrived ; I should have begged you to 
honour me by coming to my house ; ' which was a 
pleasant speech at the least, and in all probability was 
sincere, for, like his two brothers, he is a genial and 
hospitable man. 

The visit of this well-bred chief set me thinking 
on the strange character of the race we were amongst, 
of whom he was so good a specimen. A curious 
people they certainly are, these men of the north- 
western Caucasus, leading the most primitive of lives, 
and yet far, very far removed from barbarism; a 
simple pastoral race, to whom, albeit they were neither 



THE CAUCASIAN CHARACTER. 



251 



foolish nor utterly ignorant, men from the busy West 
seemed well-nigh as strange as beings from another 
planet might to ourselves. A brief sketch of what 
struck a traveller as the characteristics of a people 
destined soon to yield to the monotony of civilisation, 
may not, I trust, be superfluous. 

A very good people they are in many respects ; 
their kindliness and good temper, the complete absence 
among them of any dislike to, or suspicion of, strangers, 
cannot be too warmly praised, and should be fully 
appreciated by the traveller, who, if bored at times by 
their curiosity, may comfort himself fully by the reflec- 
tion that he is very lucky in having nothing worse to 
complain of in so wild a country where travellers are 
rarer than sharks in the Channel. The genial hospi- 
tality and pleasant manners of the chiefs I have en- 
deavoured to describe, and it may be hoped that the 
account of the strenuous efforts of the dear invisible 
princess of Bezingi in a miserably poor village and 
without her husband to help her, has shown how 
strong in the Caucasus are the traditions of what is due 
to guests, the influence of which was also very prettily 
made manifest in the anxiety of the young Ismail that 
the strangers should be well cared for. But more 
to be admired even than this gracious and honourable 
feelino; is the total absence of theft and violence 
among these northern men, a matter indeed well 
worthy of note when the character of the tribes on 
the other side of the chain is considered. During the 



252 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



time we were in the valleys of the North- Western 
Caucasus we had nothing stolen, and though our 
baggage was small in amount, there were things in it 
which must have been very tempting to the natives. 
As to danger from violence, I believe that there is none 
whatever among this people. It is true they still 
retain some of the habits of warlike days. The great 
poniard is almost invariably worn, and a pistol is some- 
times carried ; but w T e never heard of the former being 
used for anything more murderous than killing a 
sheep, and it appeared to us that the latter was meant 
almost entirely for show. I witnessed several violent 
squabbles, but I never saw a man even go through 
the form of putting his hand to his dagger, and from 
w r hat experience I had, and such knowledge as I could 
get of the Caucasians of the north-west, I believe 
them to be an altogether peaceful race, and, so far as 
abstinence from theft goes, perfectly honest. 

It must not be imagined, however, that the country 
is an Arcadia, or that the traveller finds the golden 
age existing among these shepherds and hunters. In 
some matters the Caucasians are trying, and not by 
any means trustworthy. In the first place, they are 
painfully indolent. Strong, healthy men as most of 
them are, well capable of doing a long day's work 
without the slightest distress, it is wonderful how they 
loiter on a journey, and what frequent and protracted 
halts they make. Most irritating, too, is their pro- 
crastination. Very hard indeed is it to start a party 



THE CAUCASIAN CHARACTER. 



253 



of Caucasian porters. One excuse after another is 
found for delay. As well an hour hence as now ; as 
well this afternoon as this morning ; as well to-morrow 
as to-day ; such seem to be their ideas when it is a 
question of beginning a journey. Sometimes too, in a 
childish way, they tell the most silly lies for the sake 
of getting rid of their work for the moment ; stopping, 
for instance, on a march when the afternoon is only 
half spent, and saying that the resting-place for the 
night has been reached. They know perfectly well 
that the day's stage rightly ends a good deal further 
on, and that the hours thus wantonly wasted will have 
to be made up for on the morrow ; but this does not 
seem to trouble them in the least, so long as for the 
time being they can cease work. 

In such transactions as the traveller has with the 
Caucasians — the hiring them as porters, the hiring 
horses, the buying provisions of them — they usually 
try to take advantage of him, and to charge him too 
much. It would be interesting, however, to hear of 
any people, civilised, semi-civilised, or savage, concern- 
ing whom the same could not be said. Man in all 
states loves to prey on his fellow-creatures. Books of 
travel tell of the greediness of the barbarian, and our 
newspapers often teem with declamation against the 
frauds of trade. It would be hard then to be severe 
on the poor Caucasian for seeking to get more than a 
fair price for his labour or his goods, as the practice is 
an extensive one. Overreaching, moreover, is not 



254 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



often carried to a flagrant extent, and Is never at- 
tempted by the chiefs. 

With the villagers of one place — Utchkulan — we 
had considerable trouble, and the short description above 
given does not by any means apply to the good-for- 
nothing inhabitants of that place, who were indeed a 
sorry set of rogues ; but from what I saw and what I 
heard of the men of the North- Western Caucasus, I 
believe those of Utchkulan to be a dishonourable ex- 
ception to the general type of native character, and 
that their conduct could not in any way be taken as an 
illustration of it. 

It will be seen then that, though the Caucasians 
are not always to be relied on, and at times try the 
traveller's patience largely, the good much predomi- 
nates in their character, and I think that those who 
have sojourned among them cannot fail to carry away 
a most pleasant remembrance of this simple pastoral 
race, untouched as yet for good or evil by the great 
forces of Western civilisation. Of the hospitality of 
chiefs I have before spoken. It was, to some extent, 
obligatory on them to aid us ; but at every place ex- 
cept Kunim they did not confine themselves to what 
they were compelled to do, but acted as zealous and 
generous hosts ; dilatory, it is true, and sometimes very 
slow in performing what they had promised ; but it is 
a country where no man takes any account of time. 

The physical beauty of the Caucasians has often 
been extolled, and, as regards the men, we all thought 



THE CAUCASIAN TYPE. 



255 



deservedly. As to the women, in a Mohammedan 
country the traveller's opportunities of observing are 
limited. The wives and daughters of the chiefs and of 
the rich men are never seen. Those of the poorer 
villagers wander about freely enough unveiled, and 
certainly do not seem remarkable for comeliness, so far 
as the dirt which they appear to affect rather more than 
the men allows one to judge ; but no doubt they suffer 
from hard bodily labour, which, as is well known, mars 
feminine good looks terribly. Whether the greater 
ladies would show any of the proverbial beauty of an 
aristocracy, I cannot say. The only one I ever met 
turned her back on me the instant she saw me, which 
seemed ungracious of her, especially as it was in the 
dark ; but nt) doubt she was a lady of very rigid prin- 
ciple, tenacious on points of etiquette, and ignorant 
that travellers are allowed to do very impertinent things, 
even to the gazing on a woman's face. 

But that the males are proper men, must strike any 
one who visits the country. They have bold, strongly- 
marked features, often resembling the better kind of 
Jewish type — aquiline noses, fairly high foreheads, 
piercing dark eyes, usually but not invariably, dark 
hair and beard. Bodily too, they are well endowed. The 
proportion of tall, powerful men in a village is remark- 
able, and the gait of the North Caucasian has often 
that grace and elasticity which come from a well-strung 
and well-balanced frame. They are very spare in 
figure. I only remember seeing one fat man during 



256 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



the whole time we were on the northern side, and he 
was a priest, and belonged therefore to what is in 
many countries a fat class. As has been previously 
said, it is to a diet composed principally of meat that 
the Caucasians probably owe their slimness of figure, 
which certainly greatly aids their appearance, a round- 
bellied man not looking well in the national costume, 
or indeed in any other, so far as I know. 

Owing to the excessive indolence of the Caucasians, 
it is not very easy to form an opinion of their strength 
or power of endurance. Certainly Swiss porters who 
stopped as often as they do on a day's march would be 
regarded as very poor specimens of their race ; but we 
were all of opinion that it was indolence and not want 
of strength which made the men halt so frequently. 
Once or twice, when they really wished to make a 
good stage, it was astonishing to see how well they 
walked and how little the work seemed to tell on them. 
In one matter, already spoken of in describing the 
march from Bezingi, the Caucasian's power of endu- 
rance is beyond that of the Swiss. Those who have 
travelled in the Alps know how much food the guides 
and porters require, and how, like English servants, 
they often knock up if they do not 6 get their meals 
regular.' Now the Caucasians, though far removed 
from savages, have some of the savage's power of going 
without food. They can, if necessary, walk for the 
whole day with only a crust of bread to eat ; nor do 
they seem exhausted or even specially hungry after 



CAUCASIAN POWER OF ENDURANCE. 



257 



the work thus done fasting. For instance, two horse- 
drivers who were with us on the journey from Urus- 
bieh to Utchkulan started without any breakfast, and 
went through t welve hours' hard walking with nothing 
to eat but a moderately sized piece of cheese. When 
we got to the resting-place for the night, they seemed 
by no means ravenous, getting us everything we 
wanted and chatting together until Paul had cooked 
for us and we had eaten. Then they proceeded in the 
most leisurely manner to get ready their own food, 
which they ate with a deliberation which a gastronome 
might have envied. 

In judging of the Caucasians' powers, it has to be 
remembered that they are not much in the habit of walk- 
ing long distances. All but the very poorest men have 
horses, and throughout the country the common way 
of making a journey is to ride. The inhabitants there- 
fore are not by any means such practised walkers as 
those of the mountainous countries of Western Europe. 

On the whole it appeared to me that the Cauca- 
sians, though often seeming weakly from their exces- 
sive indolence, were really very strong men, little if 
at all inferior in vigour to Highlanders or Swiss, and 
superior to both in their power of supporting prolonged 
exertion without food. The matter is of considerable 
interest, from the fact of the Caucasians drinking no 
spirituous liquor of any kind. If alcohol is altogether 
a bad thing for men, one potent enemy to healthy and 
prolonged life does not attack this race. Their diet, 

s 



258 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



which, as I have pointed out, has in it neither alcohol 
nor sugar, is certainly very different from what sup- 
ports us in the West. 

Allied to the question of diet is that of clothing, and 
in this the Caucasians appear in some degree to have 
united beauty and usefulness. The national costume 
is at once seemly to look at and pleasant to wear. 
Differing of course much in material, it is almost 
always the same in shape and arrangement, the prin- 
cipal and most characteristic garment being a long 
robe reaching below the knee, and having on the breast 
bandoleers for holding cases in which powder and ball 
are carried. If the wearer is rich, these cases, each of 
which holds one charge, are of silver. Underneath 
the robe are worn a short frock or blouse, and trousers 
very like knickerbockers, with which leggings, usually 
of light leather, are commonly worn. The shoes are very 
peculiar. They are made of thin leather or hide, and 
lace together under the foot, which they fit very easily, 
being stuffed with hay or grass when put on. The re- 
arrangement of this awkward stocking is a frequent 
pretext for stopping and dawdling on a march. 

The hat is always a marked part of the Caucasian 
costume. There are many kinds, but that most com- 
monly worn is made of a deep band of sheepskin or 
lambskin, with a cloth top. A hot and heavy head- 
piece it must be, but it is hardly ever removed, the 
natives, whether of high or low degree, not uncovering 
as a mark of respect, or even when entering a house. 



CAUCASIAN COSTUME. 



250 



Once or twice when we took our hats off to the chiefs 
they did the same to us, from a wish not to be behind- 
hand in good manners, but they did it awkwardly, and 
were obviously not accustomed to it as an act of cour- 
tesy. The Mohammedan Caucasians usually cut the 
hair very short or shave the head. 

One distinctive garment remains to be described. 
That is the burka, or great mantle, a protection against 
rain and cold not surpassed to my mind by any of the 
numerous fabrics of the TTest. This admirable capote 
is in shape a large cloaks and is made, not as is some- 
times said of sheepskin, but of thick, coarse felt, shaggy 
on the outside where the hairs are left loose so as to 
form a kind of fur. Hours of rain will not wet a 
burka through, as the water trickles off the furry out- 
side, and the felt is so thick that a man can sleep out 
in his cloak without any fear of suffering from the 
clamp of the ground, that insidious enemy which so 
often works evil to the hunter and the traveller in the 
night time. I am much inclined to believe myself 
that the vexed question of how to provide the soldier 
with a greatcoat which shall be warm and practically 
waterproof, without being oppressive, will be solved 
by using some fabric similar to that of the burka, and 
not by any adaptation of the unhealthy and unmanage- 
able mackintosh. It should be said, however, that the 
weight of the burka is considerable. 

Arms are almost always carried. Near Kutais, in- 
deed, many of the natives did not wear the great poniard, 

3 2 



260 



RETURN TO 



URUSBIEH. 



but nowhere on the northern side were the men without 
this weapon. It hangs from the centre of the waist, 
and must, one would think, be very troublesome when 
walking ; but c habit is ten times nature/ and what 
would drive Englishmen half mad does not cause the 
slightest inconvenience to Caucasians. They take 
great delight in handsome poniards, and the costliness 
of the weapon carried is frequently an indication of 
the social position of the wearer. A wealthy chief 
often has a poniard with a hilt and sheath of silver, 
beautifully ornamented with black inlaying. A vil- 
lager of lower degree wears a less gorgeously mounted 
arm, and a poor man a perfectly plain one. The belt 
from which the poniard hangs is sometimes also of 
silver. These belts, which are made at Tiflis, are 
decorated with inlaid work similar to that on the hilts 
and sheaths, and, as mentioned when speaking of that 
place, are of considerable beauty. A pistol is worn 
sometimes, but not often, by the men in the northern 
valleys. A gun, however, is not unfrequently carried. 

I must now return to my story, which has been left 
for a while to give the foregoing slight sketch of the 
'Caucasians of the North, and I have to tell of the dis- 
appointment which befell us with regard to Elbruz. 
At about three in the afternoon, when, as we calculated, 
"Moore and his companions ought to have been de- 
scending the lower slopes of the mountain on their re- 
turn from the summit, BernofF rode into the village, 
followed immediately afterwards by Kwitka. They 



MOORE'S ATTACK ON ELBRUZ. 



261 



had, alas, a story of failure to tell, and of failure for 
that season not to be remedied. The brief history, as 
told by them, and by Moore on his arrival, was this. 
The two Russian officers, Moore, the two Caucasian 
chiefs, the hunter Achia, and Peter Knubel, left the 
camp at one in the morning for the ascent of Elbruz, 
the wind being of rather ominous strength, but the 
night clear. When they got to the edge of the great 
snow-field they saw that the two peaks of the moun- 
tain were veiled by what they took to be a cloud* 
Hoping that this might lift at dawn they went on, and 
trudged over the neve for about two hours, at the end 
of which time the Russian officers could struggle no 
longer against increasing exhaustion, and were obliged 
to stop and retreat. It was not the least astonishing 
that this should happen. Walking up snow-slopes at a 
great height is most fatiguing work, and constantly pro- 
duces complete prostration in men unaccustomed to it. 
The Russian officers, admirable and fearless horsemen, 
able to keep in the saddle for fourteen or fifteen hours, 
were anything but practised walkers, and the exertion 
told on them so severely that at last they became 
utterly unable to go further on the upward course. 
They were therefore forced to turn back, while Moore, 
the Caucasians, and Peter Knubel continued the 
ascent. But inaccessible to all men was Minghi Tau 
on that day. As sunrise drew near the seeming cloud 
came further and further down the mountain's side, 
and when day broke Moore saw that it was no peace- 



262 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



ful mist which veiled the peak, but a vast tourmente of 
snow, and that a furious storm was raging on the upper 
part of Elbruz. To the very edge of this tourmente he 
and the others went, but no human being could have 
ascended the mountain through it, and indeed any one 
who ventured far into it would very likely not come 
back again, so there was nothing for it but to give up 
the ascent and turn back, which, much disheartened, 
they did. 

Strange to say, while this violent storm was lash- 
ing Elbruz, the rest of the chain was clear, and the 
explorers could see into the valleys beneath them, the 
bad weather being at the moment confined to the great 
mountain. Perhaps, owing to the height and exposed 
situation of Elbruz, more storms break on it than on 
the other peaks of the range. By the time they 
reached the valley the sky was overcast, and heavy 
rain fell before they arrived at Urusbieh. Moore, 
who came on foot, appeared a short time after 
BernofF and Kwitka, and nothing now remained but 
to make preparations for a start early next morning, as 
owing to the small amount of time we had at our dis- 
posal it was impossible to make a second attempt on 
Minghi Tau. One of the horsemen who had come 
with us from Kunim was willing to go with us as far as 
Utchkulan, and another man and horse were hired in 
the village, so we hoped to get off by daylight, and 
bore with fortitude the stare of the crowd who were 
taking a last 4 longing lingering look ' at us. 



DESCRIPTION OF A FOREST. 263 



In the evening the pleasant Mohammed came in for 
a farewell talk, and with the courtesy common to his 
family, earnestly begged us to come to TJrusbieh again. 
6 There is much to see near this valley/ he said, 6 and 
plenty of game at no great distance from here. Be- 
tween Suenetia and the Karatchai country there lies a 
mighty forest, the most wonderful I have ever seen. 
The trees are huge, and the flowers, which in places 
altogether cover the ground, are of the greatest beauty. 
Then the forest is full of game. There are deer, wild 
boar, bouquetin, and chamois, 1 all in plenty. A good 
hunter can kill much game there easily. Two or 
three men from here usually go over to hunt there 
during the summer season.' 

Myself. — Are there any people or houses there ? 

Mohammed. — None whatever. The country is 
altogether without population. Anything that a man 
requires to live on besides the game he kills, he must 
take with him. You would much admire the forest, 
which is indeed a magnificent one. 

What a picture this was! A huge primeval forest, 
full of beauty, and also full of game ; surely a place 
where one might lead an ideal hunter's life, going 
on, day after day, through the endless vistas of great 
trees, seeing no man save a few trusty followers, and 
enjoying the wonderful solitude of the forest, while 
a number of wild animals would meet with a less 

1 "We saw no chamois ourselves in the Caucasus, but probably they 
exist there in large numbers. 



264 



RETURN TO URUSBIEII. 



peaceful end than they might reasonably have 
expected. As to the exact position of these great 
woodlands we were, I am sorry to say, left in. some 
doubt. Mohammed's description was, as has been seen, 
vague in this respect. He spoke of them as being be- 
tween Suenetia and the Karatchai country, but these 
two districts are separated by the main chain, and I 
could not, owing to the difficulties which always attend 
interpretation, clearly make out in further talk with 
him whether the forest lay on the northern or 
southern slopes of the mountains. A snow pass had 
to be crossed to reach it, but this might be either over 
the spur connecting Elbruz with the main chain, or 
over the main chain itself. It was clear, however, that 
the woodlands could be reached with little difficulty 
from Urusbieh, and from a careful examination of the 
map after this conversation with Mohammed I am con- 
vinced that he was speaking of the valleys of the 
country west of the Upper Ingur, a land apparently 
uninhabited and covered by a mighty forest. It is to 
be hoped that before long some traveller to the 
Western Caucasus will venture into these beautiful 
solitary woodlands, which should be as interesting 
to the explorer as they seem full of promise to the 
hunter. 

But our attention was presently distracted from 
Mohammed's wonderland by a question more delicate 
even than that of position and boundary. We had 
been the guests, first of the meek chief of the village, 



A DELICATE QUESTION. 



265 



and then of the elder and greater brother, and we had 
eaten largely of their bread and meat, and drunk many 
bumpers of their sour inilk, and of course we could not 
be content here any more than in other places with 
merely thanking our hosts for their good cheer. We 
wished to recompense them so that they might lose 
nothing by their kindness, but they were greater men 
than any who had yet entertained us, and how to 
make payment troubled us sore. If an Englishman , 
after staying at a country-house, had to make a gift, 
not to the butler but to the host, he would probably 
feel rather shamefaced over the task, and would strongly 
wish that he had a case of wine, or a gun, or a retriever 
to give, rather than the actual coin. In a similar em- 
barrassing position we feared much that the chiefs 
might dislike taking money, and that they would be 
not a little hurt if the whole payment was made in 
cash; but unhappily we had scarcely anything to 
offer, except what is generally so much liked ; for we 
had limited our baggage to the smallest possible 
quantity, not thinking that it would be necessary to 
bring any gifts with us. After a time, however, we 
succeeded in forming a kind of composite present. 
Moore sacrificed his revolver. To this were added a 
couple of eight-bladed knives and some roubles. We 
trusted that the two first gifts might veil the offensive- 
ness of the last. But it was not so, as we found when 
the chiefs came in to say good-bye, and Paul for us be- 
spoke them: — 



266 



RETURN TO URUSBIEH. 



Paul. — My masters bid me thank you much for 
your kindness in giving them lodging and providing 
for them so well. They are deeply indebted to you, 
and will ever remember your goodness. They ask 
you to accept these things as tokens of their regard for 
you. 

The Chief. — We have been very happy to have the 
gentlemen among us, and we require no recompense 
for what we have done for them. It is not our custom 
to take money from those whom we have entertained. 
What we have given has been given from friendliness, 
and not for payment. If your masters like to make us 
any gifts by which we may remember their visit here, 
we shall be glad to receive them, for we indeed esteem 
your masters our friends, and it would be a pleasure to 
us to keep their gifts in remembrance of them and of 
their stay with us ; but we would rather not take any 
money. It is not our custom to do so. 

Paul. — The gentlemen are very grateful to you for 
your kindness. They know that their visit here has 
given you great trouble ; that your servants have had 
more work than usual, and that you have had to send 
about for provisions. They therefore beg you to 
accept in addition to the gifts this money, not in any 
way as payment, but to prevent you from being losers 
by what you have done. 

The Chief. — We had rather not take money. It is 
not our custom to receive payment from our friends. 

Obviously they thought it very undignified, but 



THE CHIEF'S FAREWELL. 



267 



finally we succeeded in getting them to accept the 
despised roubles, as our presents were not enough to 
repay them for what they had done for us, and after 
the way in which we had ransacked their stores, it 
would have been hard indeed to have left them poorly 
requited. When this delicate matter was at last ar- 
ranged, the elder and greater brother said good-bye 
to Moore in a graceful farewell speech. ' If you 
should come here again,' said he, 6 remember that your 
dwelling is in my house, which is yours ; that I am 
ever your friend, and that I look on you as my 
brother.' And then, very sorry to see the last of them, 
we shook hands with the kindly and hospitable chiefs 
who had been such good hosts to us during our stay in 
pleasant Urusbieh. 



268 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 

Departure from Urusbieh — A useless horse — The valley of the Kwirik 
— Bad weather — Singular glen — A shepherd's camp — Caucasian dogs 
— A primitive tent — Bitter bread a luxury — The camp at nightfall 
— Start next morning — Head waters of the Malka — The eagles — Vol- 
canic mounds — The great rolling down north of Elbruz — A salt 
spring — The farewell of our Kunim follower — Religious feeling of 
the man of Urusbieh — Col at the end of the great down — The track 
lost — The valley of the Khudes-Su — Deserted chalets. 

The next morning (July 30) was fine, although 
light clouds were traversing the sky with ominous 
quickness. After saying good-bye to the Russian 
officers, who were staying at Mohammed's house and 
got up early to see us off, we left the village at seven 
o'clock, and made for the valley of the Kwirik, which 
for some distance from Urusbieh lies, roughly speak- 
ing, north by west and south by east. We had with 
us two baggage horses, one driven by the excellent 
fellow who had come with us from Kunim, and the 
other by a sturdy Urusbieh man, who had been one of 
the porters to the camp at Elbruz, and had taken at 
least his full share of the work. The journey to Utch- 
kulan, whither we were now bound, would, we had 



A USELESS HORSE. 



200 



been told, require two days on horseback, between two 
and three on foot. 

The glen through which we had gone to ascend 
Sultra unites with the valley of the Kwirik a very 
short distance above Urusbieh, and after passing the 
point of junction our path ran for some distance 
nearly level, the valley rising but little. At this very 
earlv stage of the walk an untoward incident com- 
pelled a halt. The horse belonging to the man of 
Kunim had in some way misused his period of idleness 
at Urusbieh, and by stopping every twenty paces or 
so showed unmistakeably that he was not likely to 
carry his very moderate load to Utchkulan. We had 
therefore to wait while the native of Urusbieh went 
back to the village for another man and horse, which 
he succeeded in getting w T ith wonderful quickness. 
Our new follower was a tall, very handsome old man, 
whose striking appearance was not a little increased by 
his wearing a monster of a pistol, some two feet long, 
which was exceedingly picturesque, though as I after- 
wards found it was a little difficult to use, as it took 
ten minutes to load, and then could only be made to 
go off by lighting a large fire and putting it in the 
middle. Still it was a very nice pistol in some re- 
spects. Although we had been obliged to take a sub- 
stitute in the place of our friend from Kunim, the 
latter went on with us, remarking, quite sincerely I 
believe, that he liked us, and should be very glad to 
be of use to us in any way he could ; 6 besides,' he can- 



270 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



didly added, c I have relations in the Karatchai whom 
I should like to see, and who I daresay will do some- 
thing for me.' So, keeping this excellent retainer still 
with us, we started again. 

The valley grew very narrow as we ascended it, 
and the path for some distance lay by the side of the 
stream. We passed a house in process of building — 
not a very common sight in the Caucasus — and after 
walking by the water for some way, found the valley 
open out again, and its proportions become much 
greater. It was excessively ugly ; a huge, monotonous 
green vale. There were no signs of hut or chalet in the 
dull hollow, but cattle were grazing in places, and it is 
no doubt one of the pastures of Urusbieh. Probably 
the cheery inhabitants of that village come to this 
dreary seclusion as little as they can. 

We followed the path up the valley until we came 
to a place where it turned towards the west, another 
great valley opening out of it at the elbow on the 
northern side. Up this latter vale our way lay, so 
we entered it and laboured up the track leading to its 
head, through scenery so dismal and barren as hardly 
to have any grandeur, although the proportions of the 
valley were vast. The sides were lofty and steep, dull 
grass in the lower part, dull red rock in the upper. 
The col at the head was of great height, but when we 
reached it after a toilsome march we could see 
nothing of the country round, for we were enveloped 
in thick mist and sleet. We did not therefore tarry 



SINGULAR GLEN. 



271 



long on the saddle, the view being one with which we 
had been familiar in the earlier part of our expedition, 
but began the descent at once, going at first over 
bare and stony slopes, and then over some grass-land, 
shortly after reaching which we shot out of the mist, 
but found heavy rain falling. 

We had descended into a huge trench-like valley 
with steep green sides, a strange glen enough, not to 
be called beautiful, but far less forbidding than that 
which we had just quitted. Below us the base of the 
great trough seemed to run nearly level, and along it 
meandered a pleasant stream. As we went down the 
vale became more pleasing, and there was a pretty 
vista up a lateral glen, in which was a little woodland. 
As in other parts of the Caucasus, the scenery had 
some resemblance to that of the Highlands, though ot 
course it was on a far grander scale. After going 
rapidly down the steep upper part of the valley, we 
walked for some distance along the meadow-land of its 
base beside the stream, speculating with considerable 
interest where we should pass the night. Travellers 
ought to be perfectly indifferent to sleeping out in the 
rain, but then, like other men, travellers are not always 
exactly what they ought to be, and I believe that in 
practice they generally get shelter if they can. The 
men of Urusbieh had spoken earlier in the day of 
shepherds who might have some cover to offer, but now 
when asked about them they pointed to a narrow 
and very steep gorge on our left, and said that we 



272 



GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



should probably find them there, after an ascent of two 
or three thousand feet ; the fact being that they had 
not the slightest idea where the shepherds might be, 
and pointed out the glen on much the same principle 
as a conjuror acts on when he asks if any of the 
audience would like to swallow a sword. Disregarding 
therefore advice not meant to be taken, we w r ent on, 
but the porters presently got greatly bored with the 
walking, and with true Caucasian indifference to the 
morrow's labour, strove to make us stop much before 
the proper time at what they called a cavern, which 
was, in fact, a small space under a projecting rock, 
where perhaps one man might make himself comfortable. 
Spurning the idea of stopping here, to the great wrath 
of the bearer of the pistol, who made me a long speech 
on the subject in his native language, to which I 
replied with such rhetoric as I could command in my 
own, we went on, and were reconciling ourselves to 
the idea of a damp night, when we saw a small tent in 
the distance on the further side of the stream. It 
belonged to the shepherds whom we had little hoped to 
see, and although to use it we should have to persuade 
the rightful occupants to turn out and pass the night 
in the open with the rain falling, we had little doubt of 
the influence of roubles on the pastoral mind, and 
assumed, rightly enough as it proved, that to sleep on 
the hill-side in the wet would not seem a monstrous 
hardship to a Karatchai shepherd. Extreme modesty 
in asking a favour is a little out of place in men 



A PRIMITIVE TENT. 



273 



travelling through a wild country. We made straight 
for the ten^ crossing the stream, and repelling with 
some difficulty a savage charge of unusually excited 
dogs, who bayed vigorous disapprobation as we cajoled 
the shepherd into yielding us his wigwam. Is there not 
a Mohammedan superstition that the souls of the de- 
parted sometimes enter the bodies of animals ? I 
cannot help thinking that Mussulman prejudice, of 
which we found so little among the men of the Caucasus, 
had concentrated itself in their evil-minded hounds. I 
am glad to say that one of these curs supped that night 
off an old strap which was thrown away, and that he was 
very ill next morning in consequence. The tent which 
was given up to us was scarcely a luxurious resting- 
place, for it was entirely open on one side, and exactly 
resembled one of those small booths for the sale of food 
which are common at fairs, and are still to be seen in 
some parts of London. It was made of bits of old 
burka stretched on a rough framework. We afterwards 
found that tents of this kind are generally used by the 
wandering shepherds of the Karatchai, giving as much 
shelter as the hardy fellows require. Placed with the 
open side to leeward they answer fairly well unless the 
wind changes ; then, if there is rain, it is driven in on 
the inmates, but of that they take their chance with 
true Caucasian indifference to so trifling a matter. On 
this evening, when there certainly was rain enough, the 
shepherd made small difficulty about turning out for us 

T 



274 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



on being promised a reward. He had two lads with 
him, his sons probably, and the three soon made a 
roaring fire, and in company with our men passed 
apparently a very cheerful evening, much aided by a 
small gift we sent them, their delight at which certainly 
illustrated in a remarkable way their exceedingly 
primitive life. The offering was made in return for a 
present of theirs which was very grateful to us, the ex- 
change coming about thus : as we were walking along 
beside the little river, it struck us that in the High- 
lands such a stream would undoubtedly have trout in 
it, and that it was difficult to see why it should not in 
the Caucasus. After we had settled down in the tent, 
and the shepherds had brought forth good store of but- 
ter and cheese, we caused Paul to ask them if to these 
good things they could not add some fish, whereupon 
they produced four or five as pretty little trout as 
ever rewarded the thrashing of a stream. After- 
wards Paul said to us that the shepherds had given us 
the best they had, and that it would please them much 
if we gave them some bread in return ; f for,' he said, 
' they hardly ever get bread when they are on the hills. 5 
What we had with us was poor, stale stuff, as bitter as 
friendly advice : but of course we gave it to them, and 
delighted they were with it. Men to whom bad bread 
is a great luxury must certainly be living in a very 
simple way. The fish which were given us were worth 
remembering, for they were the only fresh ones we saw 
in the Northern Caucasus. There must be plenty in 



THE CAMP AT NIGHTFALL. 



275 



the streams, but the inhabitants seem content to leave 
them there. 

It would be difficult to conceive anything more per- 
fectly typical of pastoral life than the scene we gazed 
on that evening. A huge flock of sheep, some white, 
some black, had been driven in and gathered round 
the encampment as night came on. A little further 
off, on the other side of the stream, a great herd of 
cattle darkened the grass-slopes. The watchful dogs, 
having bitten and worried the lag-gard and the adven- 
turous of the flock into conformity, crouched near 
their masters, who were making merry over bitter 
bread before a roaring fire. Around the little nook 
in the valley thus for the moment occupied all was 
solitude. Men might wander among these hills for 
days and not come to a human habitation, perhaps not 
meet a human being. Next morning the camp would be 
deserted. The shepherds with their flocks and herds 
would go on a little way and then camp again, straying 
thus over hill and dale durino* the summer months. A life 
more simple and primitive it would be hard to find. Has 
it changed much since the days when Mithridates sought 
Dioscurias, and Roman galleys rode on the Euxine ? 

The next morning was a doubtful one, though the 
rain had ceased during the night. We were up at 
daybreak and said good-bye to the genial shepherds, 
who were so well satisfied with what we had paid them 
for the food they had given us and for their night in 
the open, that I believe they prayed that other hungry 

T 2 



276 



GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



travellers might come to them in bad weather. After 
going over the stream by a bridge which we found a 
little below the encampment, we almost immediately 
struck up the left bank of the valley, and after mount- 
ing a shoulder descended into another valley, steep- 
sided and high, with a disproportionately small stream 
running along its base. It seemed strange to think 
that this insignificant rivulet was one of the sources of 
the powerful Malka, the other being the pretty stream 
by which we had camped the night before. Descending 
to the floor of the valley and crossing the rivulet, we 
entered to the west of it another valley, over the 
northern bank of which we passed. As we were mak- 
ing our way up this, I was interested in watching some 
eagles flying at a vast height above us. They were 
sailing round and round in that monotonous, weary- 
looking rotary flight which they will continue for 
hours, and, as in the Tcherek gorge, were suggestive, 
when one looked at them, not of the majestic enjoy- 
ment of their mighty powers of flight which is poeti- 
cally attributed to them, but rather of frightful boredom, 
if such a word can be applied to birds. We saw an 
unusually large number of great eagles during the 
morning. After passing over the side of the valley our 
waylay across undulating grass-land, the beginning of a 
vast rolling down, crossing which occupied the greater 
part of the day. The singular mountain steppe 
which we thus traversed struck us as being in some 
respects the strangest country we saw while journeying 



THE GREAT DOWN. 



277 



through the Caucasian highlands ; but before attempt- 
ing to describe it, I should say a few words respecting 
some curious conical mounds which we passed when 
beginning our march over the wide down. There 
were several of them, and they were of considerable 
height and of wonderfully regular conical shape. One 
indeed was so symmetrical that it seemed hard not to 
think it the work of hands, and our men would not 
believe us when we told them that it was not artificial, 
saying that it was absolutely impossible that a natural 
hillock could be so evenly moulded. It was only when, 
on drawing near, we pointed out to them the size of the 
grassy cone, which may have been four times that of 
the Great Pyramid or thereabouts, that they saw that 
making the mound must have been rather a big job, and 
admitted that nature had done the work; but their 
surprise was great, and certainly these hillocks were a 
curious sight. They were clearly of volcanic origin. 
To that only could be attributed their peculiar and 
regular form, and it was to be remembered that we 
were now skirting, though at a considerable distance, 
the sometime volcano Elbruz. It would have been 
very pleasant to have settled that these were the vast 
burial mounds of some extinct race ; but so to describe 
them would be to exceed a little even a traveller's license. 

The great rolling; down on which we were now en- 
tering is a singular tract of country, utterly unlike 
anything to be found in the Alps. It is an extensive 
plateau lying at the foot of the hills which rise imme- 



278 GREEN CO UNTR Y NOR TH OF ELBR TJZ. 



diately under Elbruz, and consists of a wide extent of 
undulating pasture land, marked at intervals by shallow 
ravines, scarcely to be called valleys, down which, 
little streams flow. The scenery, though not of the 
kind which can be rightly called beautiful, is grand 
and striking. If the expression may be allowed, it is 
original in the highest degree, and in places the views 
are fine, the hills to the north being admirably seen, 
while Elbruz is probably visible on the other hand in 
fine weather ; but as to this we were literally left in 
the dark, for to the south there was nothing but mist 
and gloom. Strange to say, the plateau struck us as 
havino; a certain resemblance to the Southdowns as 
they were before cultivation spoilt them, when they 
had a strongly marked character of their own ; it need 
hardly be said that there is a vast difference in scale. 
On the magnificent pastures of this great plateau large 
flocks, many herds of oxen, and some of horses, feed 
during the summer months. 

Shortly after entering it we came to a shepherd's 
tent, exactly resembling that under which we had slept 
the night before. Close to it was a cart, which though 
not in itself a very beautiful object, being of the rough- 
est possible make, we regarded as a sign of a return to 
civilisation. In this, as it afterwards turned out, we 
were a little premature. The shepherd was a civil 
fellow enough, and we bought from him for the Cau- 
casians of our party some coarse cream-cheese, which 
was the only food they ate during the day. Going on 



A SALT SPRING. 



279 



after a short halt we tramped over the grass-land, until 
Ave got to one of the small ravines intersecting the 
down, where we came upon a very curious sight. At 
the point where we struck the ravine is a salt spring 
of considerable volume. The cattle which pasture on 
the country round are periodically brought to drink of 
this, and at the time when we were passing a large 
herd had just been driven down to take their medicine. 
Unlike human creatures, they showed the greatest 
desire for it. The spring has been made by the herds- 
men into a small pond, and to get at this the beasts 
fought and struggled with each other as eagerly and 
angrily as Englishmen do to see a bad actor. Those 
who had been fortunate enough to get to the water, 
seemed as if they would drink the pond dry, such long- 
pulls were they taking of the beloved brine. Leaving 
the little valley we ascended a gentle slope, where we 
passed the skeleton of a horse, and then after a time 
came to another mild descent, at the end of which we 
had one of our usual engagements with dogs, who after 
the fashion of wicked Caucasian animals did not fight 
fair. One of them indeed nearly succeeded in giving 
a laggard of our party a bite, which would have in- 
flicted on him an injury such as the lady in Candide 
suffered from, and, like an election petition, have effec- 
tually prevented him from taking his seat. Beating 
them off we ascended another gentle incline, at the 
top of which we had to go through a solemn leave- 
taking, for we found with much regret that we were 



280 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



now to say good-bye to the worthy fellow who had 
come with us from Kunim. He had discovered two 
brothers at a shepherd's camp near which we passed, 
and they were able to promise him employment; so he 
determined to stop with them, there being no reason 
why he should go with us to Utchkulan. Originally 
hired only for the journey to Urusbieh, he had re- 
mained with us until now, partly no doubt to make a 
little money, but also, I think, because he had taken 
a liking to the strangers with whom he was journey- 
ing. I am afraid I shall seem to state what is utterly 
incredible, when I say that a traveller may pos- 
sibly find among the Caucasians of the north what 
most men sadly regard a mirage of youth, to wit, 
a disinterested liking from inferiors. When I heard 
during the earlier part of our journey, that a man 
who was with us for a time said that he loved us 
as his brothers, I only wondered, as one would in 
Switzerland or Italy, what swindle he was meditating ; 
but later on I became convinced that the expression, 
if exaggerated, was not utterly insincere ; and that not 
only were the chiefs hospitable from kindliness and self- 
respect, but that good feeling without the hope of gain 
was not impossible among the humbler men. On this 
occasion we all thought that our Kunim friend was 
grieved at having to say farewell, as in a melancholy 
manner he shook hands with each man, and said that 
we had behaved well to him, and that he was sorry to 
leave us. The last we saw of him he was sitting 



A WRATHFUL MAHOMMEDAX. 



281 



motionless on his horse, watching as long as he could 
the travellers, serving whom had been grateful to 
him. 

We were speedily diverted from any indulgence in 
sentiment by a squabble amongst our men, which, of 
smallest importance in itself, was remarkable as evok- 
ing the only sign of Mohammedan intolerance which 
was observed during the journey. Paul was telling 
the younger of the two Urusbieh men to make some 
alteration in the burden of one of the horses, when the 
elder man interfered, and said that no change was 
necessary. Paul tartly but naturally replied by 
bidding him mind his own business ; whereat the reli- 
gious and personal pride of the son of Urusbieh were 
roused^ and turning on Paul, he cried out with more 
vehemence than relevance, ( Who are you that you 
should speak to me thus ? Nothing but a miserable 
Christian forsooth. I am a true believer and a son of a 
true believer, while you are an infidel, and a son 
of — ' but Paul here advanced towards the speaker 
in so threatening a manner, that 6 la recherche sur la 
parente ' came to an abrupt end, and the quarrel might 
have become a very pretty one had not the younger 
man interfered. Subsequently, having found out what 
was the matter, we made peace between the two with 
some little trouble, and the march was continued 
without any further difficulties on the score of reli- 
gious precedence. An easy dip and rise brought us to 
a huge expanse of grass-land, the biggest field of the 



282 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



great down. We had now crossed three shallow val- 
leys or ravines 3 between which the ground rose and 
fell slightly, making a series of gentle cols, and in 
front of us the prairie again rose a little, so that there 
was another of these to be passed, but at a considerable 
distance from us. We made our way towards it at a 
very easy pace, stopping often to look at this strange 
mountain country, so different from any we had before 
seen. To the north w r ere many ranks of green hills, 
and in the far distance was a long irregular rocky 
rampart rising on the northern side of some great 
valley, or series of valleys, a barrier which I had seen 
from Elbruz, but had not been able to identify on the 
map ; to the south, heights of which the summits 
were wrapped in cloud rose above the prairie. On the 
flanks of these, and on the great steppe itself, flocks 
and herds were grazing, and some way up the slopes 
w 7 e could see a shepherd's camp, round which were a 
great number of sheep and oxen. As at our halting- 
place the night before, everything told of the most 
simple pastoral life. I doubt not that if we could 
have thrown time back for a thousand years, we should 
have found on this line of travel wandering shepherds 
little different from those we saw that day scattered in 
the same way on the hill-side and on the steppe. Per- 
haps we did see one sign of a life some thousand years 
gone, for while crossing the last bit of the prairie we 
came to a singular monument, a roughly-hew r n pillar of 



HIGH COL. 



283 



granite, about eight or nine feet high. There was no 
description or device of any kind upon it, and one of 
the party irreverently suggested that it had been put 
there for cattle to rub themselves against. It may 
have been so, but I have small belief in the Caucasian 
herdsmen's taking such trouble for their beasts. 

On reaching the top of the very gentle col we 
found that there was a yet higher one beyond it, the 
ground between being more broken than that wiiich 
we had lately been traversing ; but it was easy walk- 
ing enough, and when we arrived at the highest 
saddle we looked on to a very noble country on both 
sides. It is possible that this col marks the watershed 
between the Black Sea and the Caspian. 

Descending rapidly we came to a chalet, the first 
building we had seen since the half-finished one in the 
valley above Urusbieh. There came forth to greet us 
two men, three wives, and a corresponding number of 
children, all indescribably dirty, but good-tempered as 
dirty people often are. They smiled pleasantly on us, 
and as we were in some doubt about the path, told us 
the way, quite wrongly it is true, but I believe with 
the best possible intentions. 

After leaving the chalet our course lay through a 
richer country than that which we had hitherto tra- 
versed, and we came presently to a small forest where 
with great promptitude we lost our way. We wan- 
dered about for a time in the dripping underwood, 



284 GREEN COUNTRY NORTH OF ELBRUZ. 



with that alternate energy and vacillation which mark 
men who have got off the path, until Moore, with a 
mountaineer's sagacity, hit off the true line from which 
our two Urusbieh followers who were hopelessly be- 
wildered were straying further and further. It is a 
peculiarity of mountain walking that, if the track has 
been lost, it always turns out to be a long way above 
one when found again, and in this case we had a 
heavy pull up a hill-side to regain the right path. 
Our day's work, however, was nearly at an end, for 
a short walk took us on to the slopes of the northern 
bank of the valley through which run the upper waters 
of the river Khudes-Su. Descending these slopes 
for a short distance we came to a group of deserted 
chalets, and at them our march for that day ended. 
It was pleasant to find shelter for the night, as the 
weather looked threatening and the cold was likely 
to be considerable, but nevertheless there was some- 
thing very melancholy in these empty huts. They 
had obviously been occupied at no very distant time, 
and we tried to find out from the Urusbieh men whether 
they thought that the dwellings were permanently de- 
serted, or that the inhabitants had merely driven their 
cattle to the high pastures for the summer months, but 
neither of our two followers could tell us anything. 
A certain amount of emigration is going on from the 
Caucasus, and we feared much that the owners of 
these chalets had left their valley never to return ; 
but wherever the poor wanderers might be, we treated 



DESERTED CHALETS. 



285 



their dwellings with as much respect as though they 
were to come back on the morrow, rather to the 
disgust of our men, who looked upon the interior 
woodwork as an excellent and immediately available 
supply of firewood. 



286 



UTCHKULAN. 



CHAPTER XI. 

UTCHKULAN. 

A beautiful Alp — Bapacious herdsmen — The valley of the Kuban — 
Eltiub — Position of Utchkulan — Cold reception by the Chief — The 
Eussian clerk — Change on the part of the Chief — Utchkulan beer — 
Attempt to get porters for the Nakhar Pass — An unlucky offer— 
Exorbitant demands — A difficult position — Arrival of a Russian 
Colonel — Marriage festivities at Utchkulan — Porters found for us by 
the Chief — His responsibilities as banker to the peasants round — 
Departure from Utchkulan — Strictness of our followers in prayer — A 
too early halt — A quarrel over a sheep — The wrath of the men of 
Utchkulan. 

The dawn of next day, which was the 1 st of August, 
promised well for the month, as there was every sign of 
fair weather, and cheered apparently by this our Cau- 
casians dawdled less than usual, so that we got off soon 
after daybreak. Descending rapidly to the base of the 
vale we walked by the side of the stream through a 
beautiful wood, until we reached the place where the 
valley opened into another running at right angles to 
it. Crossing this we mounted through the broken 
light and shade of a great forest of pines, and came 
presently to a little alp as beautiful as any I can re- 
member to have seen in the course of many mountain 
wanderings. It was a small, perfectly level meadow of 



A BEAUTIFUL ALP. 



287 



the brightest emerald green, surrounded partly by the 
noble forest, partly by bold and lofty hills. On one 
side of it lay a dark tarn, and at a short distance the 
smoke rising from a group of chalets gave that plea- 
sant suggestion of life without which there is a certain 
coldness in the fairest scene of meadow and woodland. 
The brilliant and beautiful hue of the grass, which 
was like water in the desert to us after the dull turf 
which had so long surrounded us, was owing, I believe, 
to the fact that what was now a field had, at no very 
remote time, been a lake, and hence the intense green 
of the carpet which covered this little oasis in the 
hills. 

The spirit of man was certainly not divine in this 
beautiful place, for the inhabitants were an example 
of the extremely disagreeable character of the people 
amongst whom we were now coming. Paid very libe- 
rally for some milk and curds which our men got from 
them, these fellows grumbled a good deal. This may not 
seem a very remarkable thing in travel, but it struck 
us, as we had constantly got the same things from shep- 
herds and dwellers in isolated chalets, and had always 
found them perfectly satisfied with what we paid 
them. Sometimes they seemed surprised -at being paid 
at all, for it is, I think, the custom of the natives to 
give freely of their acid drink to wayfarers ; but we 
were now amongst a grasping and dishonest tribe. 

We journeyed on again for a time through the 
wood, and then coming out of it, and passing round a 



288 



UTCIIKULAN. 



huge shoulder by a well-contrived path, entered the 
valley of the Kuban at a great height on its eastern 
side. For some distance the path ran nearly level, 
this course being necessary to carry it over the upper 
part of a bold promontory. The mighty valley be- 
neath was admirably seen from the track. On one 
side the vast bank was broken by great spurs and late- 
ral glens, while opposite, the huge slopes, if less varied, 
were grand and striking from their steepness and vast 
size. Through the wide meadows of the valley's base 
rushed the Kuban, a powerful stream even at this 
early stage in its long course. 

After passing high up round a portion of the pro- 
montory, we descended by a series of sharp zigzags 
its partly-wooded southern side into a lateral glen of 
some beauty, a short walk down which took us into 
the great valley. This we struck a little above the 
village of Eltiub, the largest we had yet seen in the 
Northern Caucasus, and possessing amid the native 
huts a house built after the Western fashion, which, 
though a poor dwelling enough, looked there a palace. 
In the middle of the village rose a large red-roofed 
building, which we decided to be a mosque, principally 
on the ground that there must be a mosque somewhere 
in a Mohammedan country, and that w T e had come to 
none yet. We desired no commerce with Eltiub, as 
Utchkulan was our goal, so we turned our faces to the 
south, and marched along the Czar's highway, for a 
highway it was, and indeed a very fair one, which led 



ARRIVAL AT THE VILLAGE. 289 



up the valley of the Kuban. The valley itself, though 
it had been very striking when much of it was seen 
from high up on the slopes, was not beautiful when 
seen more in detail from below, and near Utchkulan 
it was exceeding dull, the barren slopes being monoto- 
nous in colour and form. The level base of the valley 
was of great width, and was largely cultivated, oats 
being apparently the favourite crop. 

About an hour along- the high road brought us to 
Utchkulan, a straggling village situated in the wide 
space where the valley of the Khursukh opens into 
that of the Kuban. The village is placed in the angle 
formed by the junction of these two rivers, standing on 
the right bank of the former and the left bank of the 
latter. The dwellings appeared to be the ordinary 
Caucasian hovels, with the exception of one, which was 
apparently of Russian construction, and belonged, as 
w r e learnt, to an unhappy clerk employed to interpret 
for the chief of Utchkulan. We knocked at the 
clerk's door, but he was not at home, or, as is more 
probable, thought we were scamps, and would not 
open ; and it was some time before we could find the 
chief, whose house was in the dirtiest part of the dirty 
village. He was a short man making the most of 
himself, as short people are apt to do, and I remember 
that I formed an evil opinion of him from w T hat I 
thought his singularly forbidding expression. I was 
utterly wrong, as men almost always are when they 
attempt to judge from physiognomy. 

u 



290 



TJTCHK ULAN. 



Our reception was exceedingly cold. Paul invested 
us with as much consequence as he could, and pre- 
sented the Russian letter, but the chief seemed to look 
with suspicion both on the letter and on ourselves. I 
imagine it was the old difficulty of reconciling our 
travelling on foot with our being anything but vaga- 
bonds ; but whatever it may have been, the great man 
seemed little disposed to give himself any trouble 
about us. In answer to Paul he said very coldly 
that he must wait for the arrival of the Russian clerk 
to interpret the letter to him ; 6 but,' he added, ' if the 
travellers want a room, they can have this,' pointing to 
a place which looked like a compromise between a 
coal-cellar and a pig-stye. This we contemptuously 
refused, and strange to say our doing so impressed him 
favourably. Humble tramps, such as travel on foot in 
the Caucasus, would, I suppose, have been only too 
glad of any shelter, and when we would none of his 
black hole, it seemed to occur to the chief that we were 
better than we looked. He took us to a very good 
room — his own, as we afterwards found — which had the 
luxury of a boarded floor, and here we waited under 
the watchful eyes of the inevitable crowd until the 
Russian clerk came. To explain the functions of this 
person, I should say that the chief with whom we were 
now dealing, Tokmak Akbaief by name, was a man 
of no small importance, being chief not only of the 
village but of the country round, and having duties 
involving considerable responsibility entrusted to him 



TOKMAK AKBAIEF. 



291 



by the Government. He was, however, wholly igno- 
rant of the Russian language, and the business of the 
clerk was to write and translate official letters for him. 
The chief now desired to have the Tiflis document ex- 
plained to him by his own man, as I fear he distrusted 
Paul's rendering of it. 

He was a poor, sallow creature, this clerk, looking 
as if he lived on spermaceti, and for some time after 
he arrived he was paralysed with terror lest we should 
attempt to quarter ourselves on him. 6 It is the 
chief's business to receive you, not mine, not mine,' he 
kept saying in the most abject fear of being put to ex- 
pense ; but we succeeded at last in persuading him 
that he was in no pecuniary danger, and then with the 
assistance of the village surgeon, a smart young fellow, 
apparently a native, he translated the letter to Tokmak 
Akbaief. 

I have carefully described our greeting by that 
worthy, because it showed strongly how little one 
ought to be dismayed in the Caucasus by a cold 
reception. A kinder or more hospitable host than we 
afterwards found this chief could not be desired. A 
staid Mussulman, he made no sign when the letter was 
read to him and its authenticity made certain, but it was 
not long before we saw that his estimation of us was 
altered. 6 Le the d'honneur ' flowed freely. A plump 
lamb was slain; but better than either of these 
offerings was a promise from the chief that he would 
set to work at once to get us porters for our passage 

TJ 2 



292 



UTCHKULAN. 



to the south side of the chain, and he shortly sent a 
messenger through the village to find eight able- 
bodied men for the work. Not content with these 
good deeds, the hospitable man took great pains to 
make the room as comfortable as he could, and be- 
coming more and more genial, he produced as the best 
thing he could give us, a jug of beer, a most rare luxury 
in the Caucasus. It is ill to look a gift-horse in the 
mouth, or to seem to find fault with an admirable host, 
but I cannot help telling my recollection of that beer ? 
as it was the only alcoholic drink of any kind that we 
found on the northern side of the chain. Sir Wilfrid 
Lawson would hardly have complained of the strength 
of the fluid, for it may perhaps have contained about 
one per cent, of alcohol, and six gallons would there- 
fore be the smallest possible quantity a man could take 
with any reasonable prospect of getting drunk. Now 
no man would be likely to drink six gallons of this, if 
he could get it (which he couldn't), for in taste it was 
like exceedingly bad French beer drawn a couple of 
days before, and I think that it must have seemed to 
any native who drank it for the first time very much 
what still champagne or white truffles seem to most 
Englishmen, a rare and expensive form of nastiness. 
A rarity and expensive it certainly was, however, and 
if Tokmak Akbaief 's beer was not nice, very real was 
his hospitality in offering it. 

Remarkable indeed was the change which had 
come over him since his cold and distrustful greeting 



NECESSITY FOR PORTERS. 



293 



of us. This was no doubt in part due to the respect 
for the Russian order, but much more, I think, to 
real kindness and generosity. He had some doubts 
whether we were not vagabonds when he first saw us, 
but he followed zealously the traditions of Moham- 
medan hospitality now that he was convinced we were 
fit to be his guests. So far as he was concerned, all 
was done for us birds of passage that could be done. 
But the people he ruled by no means resembled him, 
as we found when we came to settle the rate of pay- 
ment with the men who were to go with us as porters. 
What happened is worth describing, as showing how 
very imprudent it is for a traveller in a wild country 
to let it be seen that he is pressed for time, even when 
he has some reason to trust those around him. 

As explained in the first chapter of this book, our 
route from Utchkulan lay across the main chain by the 
Nakhar pass, and then down the valleys of the Kliitch 
and Kodor to the Russian post at Lata, where we should 
be within two days 5 march of Soukhoum Kaleh and the 
sea. What we required then at Utchkulan were men 
to cross the Nakhar, and go as far as Lata with us. 
That the pass to the other side of the chain was easy 
we were nearly certain, but we were doubtful whether 
the whole journey to Lata would require three or four 
days, and we were very anxious to make it if possible 
in the shorter time in order to be quite sure of the 
steamer. The chief told us that three days would be 
enough, and, rejoicing in this information, we went 



294 



UTCHKULAN. 



forth to settle matters with the porters ; but, alas, we 
found there was to be much oratory on the subject, to 
the exclusion, as in most countries, of honesty and 
fair-dealing. 

There was a small crowd outside the house, among 
whom were eight fellows who had said they would go 
with us if properly paid. To them Paul offered a 
rouble and a half (4s. l^d.) a day for each man. This 
was what we had hitherto paid, and we had always 
found the natives perfectly content with it, which was 
not astonishing, seeing that it was about three times 
the ordinary price of a day's labour in the country ; but 
now we had fallen among thieves. A tall, powerful 
fellow, with an evil expression, came forth as spokes- 
man, and freeing his right arm from the folds of his 
huge burka for that action which we know on great 
authority to be the soul of oratory, delivered himself 
thus : 6 Our time is very valuable. We are getting in 
the harvest, and if we lose this fine weather and wet 
comes on, we shall be in evil plight. (Then came 
from the crowd the Caucasian equivalent for " hear, 
hear.") This is a big journey. With going and coming 
we shall be away for a long space, leaving our crops 
ungathered. Then we must take provisions, which will 
cost us much. We must have two roubles a day, and 
that will requite us very ill. We would rather not go 
at all, but we wish to behave well to those who are 
strangers in our country.' (Hear, hear.) The speaker 
then went on at considerable length, but Paul's abridg- 



AN UNLUCKY OFFER. 



295 



inent of the latter part of his discourse was, that he 
was saying the same thing over again with a great 
many lies in addition. 

There was some truth, however, in his statements 
about the harvest, so we bade Paul say that we would 
pay the porters two roubles a day if they would pro- 
mise to get to Lata in three days — u e., that they were 
to have six roubles each for the whole journey. We 
imagined that this would tempt them, but we could 
not have made a more unfortunate offer. I was close 
to the large scamp when Paul translated it to him, and 
I saw on his swarthy face a momentary look of triumph, 
such as may sometimes be seen on the countenance of a 
whist-player when he has succeeded in-drawing from an 
adversary the precise card he wanted. Shortly there 
came another long speech, the purport of which was 
that though an unburdened man might do the journey 
in three days, one carrying a load could not; but that, 
however this might be, the men would not go for six 
roubles. They must be promised eight roubles apiece, 
or they stirred not from Utchkulan. We had to pro- 
mise this as they were obstinate, and then at last they 
undertook to come with us ; so, thinking that the bar- 
gain was concluded, we left them. But we little knew 
the false move we had made in what we had said about 
reaching Lata in three days. The big rascal had seen 
with a quickness worthy of a Neapolitan that days 
were important to us, and that it was necessary for us 
to get to our goal in a short time. This gave an oppor- 



296 



UTCHKULAN. 



tunity of putting on the screw, which was used 
vigorously both then and afterwards, Soon there came 
a message from the porters that eight roubles a man 
would not be enough, that they must have ten ; and 
Paul, who brought us the tidings, added that from 
what he had heard he was perfectly certain that the 
demand would not stop here, but that if we conceded 
the ten roubles, twelve would be demanded, and so on 
until some absurd sum was reached. We absolutely 
refused to promise the sum asked, therefore, whereupon 
the big man said that we were not the honourable and 
high-minded persons he had taken us for, and that he 
and his comrades would have nothing to do with us ; 
so the bargain was broken off. The excellent chief 
took our side warmly. He solemnly harangued the 
recalcitrants before a circle of the men of Utchkulan, 
telling them that their conduct was unworthy of honest 
men, and was a disgrace to the village ; that they were 
behaving ill to strangers, which was a most evil thing 
to do, and then he washed his hands of any ill that 
might follow, not figuratively, but actually, having 
water poured over them by a servant. It was about 
as much use as it might be for a Bishop to go down to 
the Stock Exchange and hold forth on the wickedness 
of overreaching one's neighbour; The porters were 
perfectly willing to bear the spiritual load of their 
own iniquity, but no load of a more material kind. 
However, it seemed that there was nothing more to be 
done that night, and we consoled ourselves as well as 



MARRIAGE FESTIVITIES. 



297 



we could by watching a splendid sunset ; but a sunset 
is less of a consolation than might be expected to men 
who are sadly uncertain how they shall get on their 
way. That night a Russian colonel arrived in the 
village on some official business, and Moore and the 
chief went to tell him of our difficulty. When con- 
vinced that we were not vagabonds he promised aid, 
but the extent of his power seemed doubtful. 

The next morning was exceedingly fine, and I 
spent some time in wandering about the ugly and 
dirty village. Grimy-looking shanties were the cot- 
tages of the inhabitants, and the children who played 
about the muddy lanes were, so to speak, enamelled 
with dirt. Certainly if a man's skin were to become 
as that of a little child in the Caucasus, it would not 
be nice. A ceremony which, I am glad to say, is 
commonly antecedent to children in this primitive 
land — to wit, a wedding — was performed on the day 
when we arrived, and high revel was either continued 
through the night or begun again very early next 
morning, for as I passed the house where the rejoicing 
had been, there came from it a wailing, monotonous 
chorus more dreary than can be told, but intended to 
signify pleasure and mirthfulness. Close to this place 
I met Walker, who was in much perplexity. 6 How 
do they manage their merry-making in this country ? 5 
he said. € It must be hard for a man to be jovial on 
sour milk. Perhaps they succeed, and they seem to 
sit up all night over it ; but is good-fellowship measured 



298 



UTCHKULAK 



by the quantity taken, as was the case with us in the 
old drinking days ? Have they their four-pail men, as 
we had our four-bottle men ; and is biliousness looked 
on with the same jocose sympathy which our grand- 
fathers gave to a red nose? These things are a 
mystery. 5 

The hovels where these festivities were going on 
appear in the woodcut opposite, which is from a photo- 
graph taken by Walker, when, according to Caucasian 
custom, the men were standing on the roofs of the 
houses to signify their joy and contentment. The 
valley at the head of which Elbruz is seen is that of 
the Khursukh, and what appear to be the two peaks 
of the mountain are in reality the cliffs on either side 
of the great gap in the south-western part of the 
extinct crater which has been mentioned. From 
TJtchkulan only the western peak of Elbruz is seen. 
This entirely hides the eastern height. 

Our excellent friend Tokmak Akbaief worked well 
for us that day. He spoke of being able to oblige 
men to go with us, but I doubt much whether the misty 
authority of the chief of a Caucasian village would 
extend so far. In any case he did not attempt this exer- 
cise of power, but sent round to some neighbouring 
hamlets and got together eight men who were willing to 
carry our burdens to Lata. Having collected the 
gang, he brought them to us in the afternoon, and they 
seemed strong fellows enough. One, a very powerful 
man, was introduced to us as the leader of the rest. 



A BANKER'S ACCOUNTS. 



299 



He w T as, we were told, a judge of the district, and this 
high office, though it did not prevent him from carry- 
ing a load for us, gave him some authority over the 
others, which he promised Tokmak Akbaief to use judi- 
ciously on our behalf by keeping the younger men in 
order, and making them do their work properly. On 
close acquaintance this judge turned out a sorry rogue, 
but he was not an evil person to look at, having an 
honest expression and an open straightforward way of 
looking a man full in the face, which is not uncommon 
with very great scamps. At first, indeed, we thought 
that we were fortunate. 

After everything had been settled and the men had 
gone, Tokmak Akbaief stayed with us some time, 
being fond of talk, as all the chiefs were when they un- 
bent. He was not only chief of the district, we learnt, 
but acted also as a Government banker for the people 
round, and he told us that he had in his possession at 
that time 50,000 roubles (6,875/.) belonging to the 
peasants of Utchkulan and other villages, and showed 
us with some pride a large account-book, in which 
everything was systematically entered. It was not 
perhaps a great wonder to us, but we could appreciate 
the pleasure with which he said that he could tell im- 
mediately what was due to any man. He also showed 
us his w^atch, a very rare treasure in the Caucasus, and 
the more prized by him that it had been given him 
by the Grand Duke Michael, who had slept a night 
at his house when travelling through the country. 



300 



UTCHKULAN. 



Tokmak himself made Moore a present of a beauti- 
fully ornamented rifle-rest, which being shod with a 
long steel spike could be used as an Alpine, or rather 
a Caucasian stock. 

From Utchkulan the view of Elbruz which Walk- 
er's photograph has shown, is exceedingly beautiful, 
and of rare glory that evening was sunset on the great 
dead volcano. After the rose-tint came with wonder- 
ful vividness that strange after-glow in which a moun- 
tain stands out so brilliantly white and clear against 
the darkening sky, paling after a few instants so 
suddenly and with a change so great that it seems 
almost as if the life had passed from what the moment 
before was animate. 

We were late in getting off next morning, as the 
porters were very tardy in making their appearance, but 
some of them loitered in at last, and we were told that 
the others were to be picked up on the road. Tokmak 
Akbaief, as a special mark of courtesy, walked a little 
distance with us, and I believe there was real regret on 
both sides when the time came for saying good-bye to 
our most kindly host. I have never seen more goodwill 
towards strangers, or a more honest desire that they 
should be fairly dealt with, than were shown by this 
upright and hospitable Mohammedan. 

For some distance the character of the great valley 
remained the same as it was round about Utchkulan. 
There was a wide, level base, well cultivated. The 
grassy sides were lofty, but monotonous in form and 



STRICT RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE. 



301 



colour. There were at first scattered chalets, and from 
some of these the followers who had been wanting when 
we started came out, certainly with no undue haste, to 
join us, the judge, who was last of all, keeping us 
waiting some time. With the true Caucasian dislike 
to walking a yard more than they could help, most of 
the men brought horses with them to ride to the foot 
of the pass, and they were cheerful enough at first, as 
riding at a foot-pace gave an admirable opportunity for 
that conversation which is so dear to their race. After 
they had been with us a short time, we found that they 
had one characteristic which we had not yet observed 
among the Caucasians. This was extreme strictness in 
the performance of religious rites. In each village we 
had visited there had been a priest, and from a scaffold- 
ing erected for the purpose resounded every evening the 
famous call to prayer. But nobody prayed in conse- 
quence, or even suspended talk for a moment, and as to 
religious ceremonies, we never could find out whether 
any were celebrated. The priest generally seemed the 
idlest man in an idle village. ISTow, however, we were 
with men who were at least strict in outward observance. 
When at midday we halted in the grateful shade of a 
pine-wood, our followers before eating said their 
prayers at great length and with severe regard for 
form. The judge stood in front of the rest, three men 
kneeling behind him, and four more behind these. At 
intervals they touched the ground with their foreheads. 
While with us the men prayed in this manner three 



302 UTCHKULAN. 

times a day; in fact, we were among the pharisees of the 
Caucasus. We found them to be rogues, but it is won- 
derful what pleasure a thoroughly dishonest man seems 
to feel in saying his prayers. 

The valley had grown narrower before we reached 
the wood, and grew yet narrower as we ascended. 
Presently we came to the place where the path to the 
Nakhar pass turns off up a lateral glen ; at least it 
appeared to us that we clearly quitted the main valley, 
which lying nearly north and south for some distance 
below this point, trends above it to the south-east. 
From the head of the valley we now quitted a pass 
over the main chain as marked on the Russian 
map, but we were unable to get any information 
from the natives respecting this route, except that it 
existed. 

The lateral glen which we entered was, in its lower 
part, of great beauty. The path lay through a forest 
of great trees, and below rushed down a powerful tor- 
rent, perhaps the first affluent of the Kuban. Above, 
the valley widened, and after walking over some upland 
meadows we came to a shepherd's hut, where, said the 
judge, we were to stop for the night. The afternoon 
was yet but little spent, so we absolutely declined to 
halt, and the men very reluctantly went on, exceed- 
ingly discontented, after the fashion of Caucasians, 
at our taking precautions against a very heavy day's 
work on the morrow. Shortly after leaving the hut 
we came in sight of the pass, a snow-col obviously 



A TOO EARLY HALT. 



303 



easy and not high, of which Gardiner remarked most 
justly that it could if necessary be crossed in one 
day from Utchkulan ; of course the pass would be 
somewhat tiring if thus traversed, as the snow would 
not be reached until the afternoon, and would therefore 
be soft. Not long after we first saw the col we came 
to a bit of level grass, and here our men said absolutely 
they must stop. We were still some distance, two 
hours as later appeared, from the foot of the snow, and 
could easily have gone further that afternoon. Most of 
the men had been riding, and none of them had carried 
burdens, so that they were not in the least fatigued, 
but indolence asserted her irresistible claim, and as 
they were clearly determined to waste time, there was 
nothing for it but to give in with good grace and halt 
for the night. 

Some shepherds with their flocks were near the 
head of the valley, and we sent a couple of our porters 
to them to buy a sheep. They were some time 
gone, and we whiled away as best we could two 
hours which ought to have been passed in getting 
to the foot of the snow-slopes. Evening came, and 
our men said their prayers with even more energy 
than they had shown at midday. Soon afterwards the 
two returned bringing with them a bonny young black 
sheep, which was soon killed and skinned, and then 
over the carcass there arose a very pretty quarrel, 
which is perhaps worth telling, as it was really due to 
that one incautious speech at Utchkulan which had 



304 



UTCHKULAK 



already caused us so much trouble. What happened 
now was almost the necessary sequence to what befell 
us there. 

Our followers had learnt in the village what we 
had unfortunately made evident — namely, that we were 
pressed for time, and that it w T as of great importance 
to us to get over the pass quickly ; so that they had us, 
as they imagined, in their power. They had said 
their prayers vigorously, and were not disinclined to 
sin up to the amount of the credit which they thought 
they had established aloft, and the sheep gave them an 
opportunity. When engaging them we had stipu- 
lated, as we always did with porters, that they should 
bring their own provisions, to which they entirely 
agreed. Now, however, they demanded half the sheep 
for which we had paid, and after some talk we gave 
them the two fore-quarters, being anxious to humour 
them, as it would be almost impossible for us to find 
our way on the other side of the mountains without 
their aid. But the two fore-quarters, which were very 
nice joints in their way, were brought back and con- 
temptuously thrown down in front of us. Full of 
astonishment we sent for the judge, and asked him 
wiiat was wrong. 

The Judge. — We are very much discontented, and 
indeed with good reason. You are behaving most ill 
to us. You promised that you would feed us, and feed 
us well during the journey (this was a lie), and now 
you send us two fore-quarters of a sheep. 



A QUARREL OVER A SHEEP. 



305 



Moore. — But what ails with the two fore-quar- 
ters ? 

The Judge. — Everything ails. The haunches and 
saddle are the best parts, as any one knows, and you 
take these for yourselves, and give us what is not so 
good. The young men are very wroth, and rightly 
too. Understand that we despise the miserable fare 
you offer us, and that we will have nothing more to do 
with you, but will go back to our homes. Fore- 
quarters of a sheep, indeed ! 

Oh, the monotony of human nature ! Here we 
had come this long journey, and had reached this se- 
cluded valley of the mysterious Caucasus, to have the 
exact equivalent of a mutiny in the servants' hall. 
The butler and the footmen would not eat shoulder of 
mutton. That was the translation of the quarrel 
which had arisen, and furiously it raged, just as it 
might in a well-regulated country-house. But pre- 
sently our men went beyond the pretensions even of 
English servants. Said one of the porters, ' You are 
treating us vilely, and departing from your word. 
You promised Tokmak Akbaief that you would behave 
handsomely to us, and would buy not one, but two, 
three, or four sheep if we desired, so that we might 
feast and make merry. Now you offer us only the 
worst portion of one sheep, and moreover you sit apart 
from us, as if we were dogs, forsooth. Who are you 
that you should do so ? We consider ourselves quite 
your equals, and had expected that you would treat 

x 



306 



UTCHKULAN. 



us as your friends and comrades, and sit and eat with 
us. But we will have nothing more to do with you, 
and will go back to our homes, for in truth you are 
low vagabonds, whom we altogether despise.' Here 
followed a string of very furious abuse and a chorus 
of approbation from the rest, the judge, who had 
been sent specially to keep the younger men in order, 
encouraging the mutiny in every possible way. In a 
short time he came to us with a demand that he and 
the others should be paid at once for their day's 
work, without which, he said, they would do nothing 
more. This meant of course that they were to be 
placed in a position to leave us whenever they might 
think fit, without any loss to themselves. Things 
looked serious, for the fellows had worked themselves 
into a state of real passion, and it was quite possible 
that with Caucasian thoughtlessness as to consequences 
they might go back to their hamlets. We might 
perhaps succeed in getting them punished if they 
did so, but we should miss the steamer at Soukhoum 
Kaleh which, for two of us, would be a very serious 
matter. 

Moore took aside the judge, who was busy pro- 
moting the cursing and swearing, and told him that no 
payment would be made until the end, and that he 
must endeavour to quell the rebellion which had 
arisen ; c and remember,' added Moore, 6 that Tokmak 
Akbaief has sent you as chief of the party, and that I 
have your name written down. If the men go back, 



THE STORM QUELLED. 



307 



we shall complain to the Russians, and shall send them 
your name, and, whatever may be done to the rest, 
you may be sure that you will not go unpunished.' 
Now the judge was an arrant coward, and the news 
that we had his name, and the threat of sending it to 
the Russian authorities, fell upon him like cold water 
in the midst of his hearty enjoyment. Heaven only 
knows whether the Russians would have done any- 
thing, but he certainly was startled at the hideous idea 
that the pleasure of abusing travellers might have to 
be paid for, and that the whole cost might fall to him. 
It suddenly struck him that he was possibly getting 
into a very nice scrape, and self-interest produced a 
rapid conversion. He withdrew the demand for pay- 
ment, and set to work to calm the others, who just 
before he had been inciting to mutiny. As has 
happened with much greater agitators, he found 
quelling the storm very different work from what 
raising it had been, but at last something like peace 
was restored, and the men gave us no more trouble 
that night. To a few incautious words at Utchkulan 
all our difficulties had been owing, and there was some 
satisfaction in shutting the door after the horse was 
out of the stable, by drawing a moral, which was: — 
When travelling in a wild country never be in a 
hurry, or, if you are unavoidably pressed for time, do 
not let the natives find it out. 

One has heard sometimes of a dislike on the part 
of Mohammedans to eating with Christians. It was 

x 2 



308 



UTCHKULAN. 



worth notice that in this squabble the rigid observers 
who were with us> so far from showing any feeling of 
the kind, complained that we did not eat with them, as 
in good fellowship we ought to have done. 



309 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE NAKHAR PASS AND THE VALLEYS OF THE 
KLUTCH AND THE KODOR. — THE LAST MARCH. 

Caucasian dawdling — The Nakhar Pass — Poor view from the Col — The 
southern side — Great change — The valley of the Kliitch — Magnificent 
forests — Descent of the valley — Extraordinary grandeur of the scenery 
— A waterfall — A mineral spring — The valley of the Kodor — Sir 
John Maundevile and his account of the cloud that covered the 
heathen Emperor and his host — Solitude of the Kodor valley — Won- 
derful fertility — The tombs of the warriors of the Kuban — The 
Tchkalta — Indolence of our followers — The Engineers' Camp— The 
farewell of the men of Utchkulan — Their indifference to fasting — 
Beautiful view of the valley — Another camp — Lata — The malaria 
— Walk to Zebelda — Its position — An exploring party — The road 
from Zebelda to Soukhoum Kaleh — The Greek settlement on the 
Kelasur — Uncertainty as to the track — Intense heat — Thoughts on 
Caucasian travel — The valleys of Eastern Abkhasia — The End. 

During the first part of the night an ominous cloud 
covered the col of the Nakhar pass, and as it was 
certain that the Utchkulan men would not make their 
way over the snow if the work was in any degree 
more difficult than usual, I watched the sky with con- 
siderable anxiety for some time. The Nakhar might 
be crossed in almost any weather by moderately reso- 
lute mountaineers, but neither bribes nor taunts would 
be likely to have any effect on our porters if there was 



310 



THE NAKHAR PASS. 



even the appearance of risk, and I felt sure that our 
friend the judge would become strongly sensible of his 
duty towards his wives and family should there be a 
remote possibility of the smallest injury 'befalling him, 
and there was therefore some little cause for uneasi- 
ness. This vanished, however, at midnight, for the 
mist lifted, some clouds which had risen at sunset dis- 
appeared, and it was clear that the most faint-hearted 
would not find in tempest or fog any excuse for turning 
next day. Our followers had spoken, however, before 
we quarrelled with them of the work being severe on 
the other side of the pass, owing to the badness of the 
path down the valleys of the Kliitch and the Kodor, 
and had expressed much doubt whether we could reach 
Lata in two days from our camping-place. It would 
want hard walking to do it, more than men carrying 
burdens could accomplish, they said, and we none of 
us doubted that in the matter of being behindhand 
they would be at least as good as their word. They 
said, and said I believe truthfully, that they themselves 
wished to make the journey quickly, as they were 
anxious to get back to their homes as soon as possible, 
it being harvest-time ; but nevertheless it was tolerably 
certain that this would be as nothing against the 
national love of dawdling, and that they would halt 
without scruple or shame whenever indolence so in- 
clined them. However, there was the certainty of fine 
weather, and that was something. 

The forerunner of dawn, that is to say, Paul — who 



LAZINESS OF OUR FOLLOWERS. 



311 



always got up some time before sunrise to make tea 
and to put things in order before a start — roused us for 
our day's work when the first faint light showed in the 
eastern sky. We were soon ready to go, but of 
course had to wait while the Caucasians stretched 
themselves, conversed for some time, and in leisurely 
fashion caught their horses. This done, we got them 
off after rather more than the usual delay, and made 
our way over the stunted pastures of the valley's 
narrow base. At some little distance from our sleeping- 
place we passed a shepherd's hut, half-ruined but in- 
habited, and here our indescribably lazy followers 
wished to make a long stoppage, which we absolutely 
refused to allow. Having found how very little use 
concession had been the night before, we took a 
different tone now, and curtly told them to obey orders 
without discussion. This surprised them in no small 
degree, but it was obviously the right way to treat 
them, for after a protest they submitted, and unless I 
mistook the purport of some low-toned, uneasy talk 
which they had together, were uncomfortable about 
their last night's frolic, and began to throw the blame 
on each other, like frightened schoolboys. Some two 
hours after leaving the sleeping-place we came to a 
tiny alp at the foot of the glacier which we were to 
cross. Here the horses had to be left, and to this 
place we ought to have come the night before, for the 
little alp, tolerably level in parts and well supplied 
with water, offered quite as good a camping-ground as 



312 



THE NAKIIAR PASS. 



the spot at which we had halted ; but our followers had 
been earnest in their determination to waste time. 

The top of the Nakhar is a stony grat, whence a 
little glacier descends in gentle undulations and at a 
small average angle. This glacier is partly divided in 
the middle by a ridge of rocks, and the traveller cross- 
ing the pass from the northern side strikes to the 
left of this ridge, and makes in an oblique line towards 
the left, i.e. , towards the east. The easy ascent lies 
over slopes and terraces of snow, and with this in good 
condition about an hour and a half are required to 
go from the little alp to the grat, which is struck at its 
eastern end under a small rocky peak. Oxen and 
unladen horses are driven over this pass. 

Our fellows lounged across the glacier in the leisurely 
Caucasian fashion, and would have made I do not know 
how many halts on the easy way if we had not angrily 
urged them on. To their often-repeated statements that 
they were men and not animals, and must have frequent 
rest, we answered illogically enough that it was their 
business to obey and not to discuss, and as this was pre- 
cisely the kind of argument they understood, we got 
them to the top of the pass in decent time. There of 
course they took a prolonged halt while we looked at 
the view, which indeed was but a poor one. There was 
little to be seen to the north, and to the south scarcely 
anything worth observing except a glimpse of the great 
valley of the Kodor. For a pass over the main chain 
the Nakhar certainly seemed singularly uninterest- 



DESCENT TO THE KLUTCH VALLEY. 313 



ing , but we were to come to better things before long, 
and to tread enchanted ground. 

On the southern side of the chain where the Nak- 
har crosses it is a wild cirque, surrounded by small 
rocky peaks, to which cling a few steep glaciers. Of 
these only one, which is in the north-western part of 
the cirque j and descends to a level of perhaps 7,500 
feet, is of any size. The col itself, although the way 
to it on the northern side had been across a glacier, was 
free from snow, as were the slopes beneath it on the 
south. Down these, which are partly grass, partly 
rocks and stones, a zigzag path, not ill-contrived, leads 
to the head of the valley of the Kliitch. 

This path we followed down a very steep descent of 
some 2,000 feet, at the end of which we found our- 
selves at the beginning of the valley, and already sur- 
rounded by the magnificent vegetation of the south. 
The Kliitch being reached, our men made a long halt 
for conversation and prayer, so that there was plenty 
of time for us to look about us, and to realise the won- 
derful change from the Northern to the Southern Cau- 
casus. It was as if we had travelled, not over a narrow 
ridge, but over a great space of country. We were in 
another climate — in another land. Most people know 
the astonishing difference between the two sides of the 
great Alpine chain, between the austerity and severe 
beauty of Switzerland and the colour and the splen- 
dour of the richness of Italv : but even this is not so 
great or so striking as the difference between the 



314 



THE VALLEY OF THE KLUTCH. 



northern and southern slopes of the Caucasus. We 
had left on the other side dull grass-land very mono- 
tonous in colour, sparse pine-woods, bare rocks, a keen 
and bracing air. Here we came to vegetation of almost 
tropical richness, to many flowers, to a huge forest of 
noble trees, covering hill-side and ridge, to a varied 
profusion of beautiful colour, to the hot, close, and as it 
were loaded southern atmosphere. The Abkhasian val- 
leys of the Caucasus have a more than Italian richness, 
as those of the north have a more than Alpine severity. 
It seemed hard to believe that only a few hours' walk- 
ing were required to pass from one region to the other. 

That the beautiful land we had now reached was 
not free from some of those evils which affect countries 
where a powerful sun shines on a rich vegetation, we 
w r ere destined at a later period to discover to our cost. 
That we were to suffer from one of the lesser plagues 
of a hot climate we found out at once. From the 
dense herbage round mosquitoes and horse-flies rose in 
crowds, and attacked the whole party with the voracity 
due to a long fast. Why insects in unfrequented 
places should have such a passion for human blood, 
which cannot possibly be part of their natural diet, is 
a great mystery to me. Nature, contrary to her 
usual practice, seems to have inspired them with an in- 
stinctive desire for food they can but very rarely get. 
A dog does not hunger after peaches, neither does a 
horse after mutton-chops; but in an uninhabited country 
mosquitoes prey on the traveller as readily as though 



HORSE-FLIES AND MOSQ UITOES 



315 



man was their habitual and natural food. This appe- 
tite is as difficultto understand as a cat's fondness for 
fish. 

They attacked us with eagerness certainly, and 
with fair impartiality between Moslem and Christian, 
but, if they had a weakness, it was for the judge. That 
worthy man was saying his prayers with his usual 
vigour, but the horse-flies — with a view, no doubt, to 
increasing the merit of the effort — swarmed round him 
and plagued him so that he was obliged at last to stop 
for a short interval of cursing. These horse-flies of the 
Kliitch valley were the most venomous I have ever 
known. The effect of their bites did not disappear 
for some time. 

We had halted on the border of the mighty forest 
which covers all the valley, save a little space at its 
he ad, where the ground is for the most part clear of 
large trees, though covered with the dense vegetation 
of which I have spoken. But only a short distance 
is it from the foot of the cirque to the woodland, and 
starting again at the end of prayers, which the mos- 
quitoes and the horse-flies played a demoniacal part in 
greatly shortening, we were almost immediately in the 
shadow of the woods, and through these woods our 
path lay for the rest of the day as we descended to- 
wards the great valley of the Kodor, 

The beauty of the forest has in one way a greater 
effect than the beauty of mountains. It is immediately 
and intuitively felt by all. Snow scenery, in spite of 



316 THE VALLEY OF THE KLUTCH. 



the conventional raptures which it produces , is not 
always deeply impressive to those who look on peak 
and glacier for the first time. It requires thought 
and observation fully to appreciate the high mountains, 
but no man with any sense of what is beautiful in 
nature can wander unmoved through the glades of a 
mighty forest. The mystery and grandeur of great 
woods seem to affect alike the rude and the culti- 
vated mind. The Caucasians, like most primitive 
people, have usually no appreciation of fine scenery ; 
yet it has been seen that one of them spoke with rap- 
ture of the woodlands which lie near the Ingur ; and 
the readers of Stanley's account of Livingstone will 
remember how fondly the great traveller spoke of the 
greenwood, and how he hoped that his body might rest 
in the shadow of one of those great African forests 
through the deep recesses of which his path had so 
often lain. 

Now our way this day was through a primeval 
forest as beautiful, I believe, as ever gladdened a 
wanderer's eyes by its magnificence or blessed him 
with its shade. Those who know only the pine- 
clothing of the Alps can form no idea of the varied 
grandeur of these woodlands of the southern slopes 
of the Caucasus. An intensely fertile soil is here acted 
on by a sun of almost tropical power, and the forests 
which thus created spring from the hill-sides are to 
the Alpine forests as a cathedral to a church, or a line- 
of-battle ship to a frigate. Even the memory of the 



THE FOREST. 



317 



rich vales of the Italian Alps grows pale when they 
are compared with that marvellous wooded ravine 
through which the Kllitch flows down to the Kodor. 

The scale of the trees, I need hardly say, grew 
much greater as we descended. Those first seen were 
birches, but we soon came to far greater and loftier 
growths, and walked in the shadow of the giant pine 
and of the lofty Levant oak, Both these trees attain 
a huge size in the Kllitch valley, the latter espe- 
cially growing to an immense height and becoming 
the predominant tree as the downward course is fol- 
lowed. The underwood, which is very dense, consists 
of rhododendron, azalea, hazel and laurel, the latter 
being in great profusion, and sometimes making the 
way dark as though it were night. Among the great 
trees we came to beeches as we got lower down. 

The steep sides of the valley are of great height, 
but the dense woods cover them completely, extending 
to the lofty ridges, so that the richest colour is com- 
bined with noble mountain form. The only way in 
which I can attempt to give any idea of the glories 
of the Kliitch is to ask the reader to imagine the 
beautiful bank of Cliefden steeper than it is, and some 
fifteen times higher. Even then would be wanting 
the occasional glimpses of lofty peaks. Perhaps the 
finest part of the whole of this unequalled valley is 
that opposite a nameless glen which opens out of 
it to the north-west, ascending with wonderful steep- 
ness to a stately peak, which, rising over the fore- 



318 



THE VALLEY OF THE KLUTCH. 



shortened slopes, seems of almost incredible height. 
From its foot a powerful stream roars down to join 
the furious Kliitch. The glen itself, broken and 
precipitous, but covered by the magnificent forest, 
has that strange look of wildness and solitude which 
belongs sometimes to recesses in the heart of the 
mountains where is intuitively felt that man goes 
rarely or never. Abkhasian hunters doubtless tra- 
versed it in former days ; but it is now, like much of 
the country round, as solitary as the great Sahara. 

It had been only a little after ten when we had 
reached the head of the valley, and for the whole of 
the rest of a long summer's day we were journey- 
ing through the glades of great trees, following a 
track as faint as the clue to Rosamond's bower ; 
but the judge, who acted as chief guide, was not an 
incompetent man, albeit a disloyal and abusive one, 
and had that remarkable power of remembering a path 
he had formerly followed in which the natives of moun- 
tain countries seem sometimes to rival Red Indians. 
Through the densest vegetation, the thickest under- 
wood, in the splendid groves of laurel where we had 
almost to go on all-fours, through brake of azalea, of 
rhododendron, over decaying masses of forest debris, he 
never hesitated or faltered, never once strayed from 
the true line. In spite of the shade the heat was 
intense, and the Caucasians, accustomed to the bracing 
air of the northern slopes, suffered quite as much from 
it as we did, while we were all alike victims to the un- 



A WATERFALL. 



319 



remitting vigour of a cloud of insects which held to us 
throughout the day, which must have been marked 
with a red letter for them. The judge was, I think, 
their special favourite, for when we passed out of the 
dark shadow into a streak of sunlight, I could see a 
host of mosquitoes like a glory round his head. 

Our men, though stopping often after the Cau- 
casian fashion, went well over the rugged way, which 
was a steep descent, the valley of the Kliitch sinking 
with great rapidity. The track, for path it could not 
be called, lay over the roughest possible ground for 
walking, but nevertheless we made fair progress, and 
found ourselves as evening came on drawing near the 
end of the valley, in the lower part of which we halted 
for some time by a waterfall of great beauty. The 
Kliitch makes many bounds in its progress down its 
steeply-falling bed, but we had more often heard than 
seen the angry stream ; now, however, we were in 
full sight of a magnificent plunge of the river, and 
stood watching it for long as it showed gloriously in 
the mellow light of that beautiful southern evening. 
Although the streams of the Caucasus are so numerous 
and powerful we had, strange to say, seen but few 
waterfalls, and these were not striking ; but that on 
which we now gazed seemed noble and magnificent, 
even in the valley of the Kliitch. 

Near was a mineral spring, and of this our followers 
who had, I know not how, learnt that mineral waters 
have medicinal qualities, drank largely. As the excel- 



820 THE VALLEY OF THE KLUTCIL 



lent creatures were all hale and strong as men could 
be, they would have been puzzled to say what good 
result they expected ; perhaps, however, in this respect 
they were not unlike the drinkers of mineral waters 
further West. Even as old gossips in the Bath Pump- 
room did, they chatter over their drink, but this was 
only natural, for the sons of Utchkulan were of rare 
fertility in speech, rivalling our early friends the men 
of Gebi. All day long the chorus had gone on, led by 
the judge, who talked steadily from the top of the 
Nakhar pass to the waterfall and the mineral spring. 
He was a good leader, having a mighty chest and 
possessing one of those resonant baritone voices which 
rarely belong to any but very powerful and vigorous 
men. 

The track which we followed all day is on the left 
bank of the Kliitch, and it was just nightfall when we 
reached the bridge, which very near the end of the 
valley carries the path over to the right bank of the 
river. Having crossed, we camped for the night on a 
beautiful bit of level grass-land by the waterside. The 
judge had strongly urged us to halt at a lovely little 
meadow in the woods which we had passed some dis- 
tance higher up, telling us that we could not reach 
that night any other place fit for camping ; but one 
might as well believe what a man says about his own 
horses, as pay any attention to a Caucasian in these 
matters, so we had absolutely refused to stop. The 
place where we did halt by the bridge was perfect for 



NO INHABITANTS. 



321 



a bivouac in every way. Its height above the sea was, 
according to the barometer, rather less than 3,500 feet, 
a lower elevation than we had slept at for some weeks. 
The col of the Nakhar pass is 9,500 feet above the sea, 
so that we had descended 6,000 feet. On the Russian 
map some chalets are marked at a point on the right 
bank of the stream considerably above where we 
camped, but we had not been able to see any sign of 
them. The valley of the Klutch is indeed an absolute 
solitude. At one place our followers pointed out to 
us, high up on the eastern bank, a ruin, which they 
told us was that of a fortress commanding the pass in 
former times, but this stronghold has been long, long 
deserted, and no habitation now breaks anywhere the 
solitude of the forest. The Nakhar pass is still tra- 
versed, but the number of those who cross it has 
much fallen off of late years. When we were in- 
quiring for porters at Utchkulan, we could not hear 
of a single man in the village who had been over the 
pass that season, and the judge, our principal guide, 
told us that formerly he used to cross the Nakhar once 
a year, but that now for a great while he had not 
been over it. 

There is a certain melancholy felt after passing 
through a region of extraordinary beauty, at the 
thought that it may never be seen again, and this was 
certainly strong at the end of a day's journey through 
the Klutch, for a traveller could hardly hope that his 
way would ever again lie through the light and shadow 

Y 



322 



THE VALLEY OF THE KODOR. 



of its magnificent woods. In the course of much 
travel in mountain country, we had seen nothing so 
noble and beautiful as this vast ravine with its almost 
tropical forest clothing it from stream to ridge. The 
like may be found amongst the Himalayas or Andes, 
but not amongst the Alps. 

The long grass of the little meadow was pleasant 
to lie on, but the horse-flies and mosquitoes made night 
hideous, and at the first hint of dawn we were glad to 
get ready for a start. Even the indolent Caucasians 
dawdled less than usual, so that we were on the march 
shortly after daybreak, plunging at once into the dense 
forest, where for some distance the path lay through a 
6 thick pleached alley,' almost as closely covered by the 
foliage as the old-fashioned French berceau. Now and 
then there was a glimpse of hill and valley, but save 
for these momentary breaks we were for two hours in 
the pleasant half-darkness of the thick woods, and 
when at last we came out dazed and blinking into the 
sunlight, we found ourselves in the great valley of the 
Kodor, which we had entered we knew not when in 
the shadow of the forest. The way was now for a 
while over the fair meadow-land, broken by trees and 
underwood, which here lies on the northern side of the 
rapid Kodor. We had by this time advanced some 
distance into Abkhasia, which we had entered when we 
descended into the valley of the Kliitch. This land has 
been spoken of by a rightly famous traveller of other 
days, whose name I mention with some just national 



SIX JOHN MA UNDEVILE. 



323 



pride. Sir John Maundevile has written of Abkhasia, 
or, as he calls it, Abcaz, and in doing so has given an 
example of that faculty in which he was unrivalled. 
The Caucasians are good liars ; sometimes admirably 
inventive liars, far excelling as a rule us poor Westerns 
in this respect ; but it is something to think that here 
England has held her own — rather more than her own — 
and that an Englishman has set foot in the Caucasus, or 
at all events has written of it, compared to whom the 
Caucasians are indeed as little children. Says Sir John : 
6 In that kyngdom of Abcaz is a great marvaylle. For 
a provynce of the contree that hath well in circuyt 3 
iorneyes that men klepen Hanyson, is alle covered 
with derknesse, withouten ony brightnesse or light ; so 
that no man may see ne here, ne no man dar entren 
in to hem. And natheles thei of the contree seyn 
that som tyme men heren voys of folk, and hors 
nyzenge and cokkes crowynge.' 

6 For a cursed Emperour of Persie that hight 
Saures, pursuede alle Cristene men to destroye hem, 
and to compelle hem to make sacriflse to his ydoles ; 
and rood with grete host, in alle that ever he might 
for to confounde the Cristene men.' A large number 
of whom endeavouring to escape from him he met, 
whereupon ' the Cristene men kneleden to the grounde, 
and made hire preyeres to God to sokoure them. And 
anon a gret thikke cloud cam and covered the Em- 
perour and alle his hoost,' 6 and so schulle thei ever 

Y 2 



324 



THE VALLEY OF THE KODOR. 



more abyden in derknesse, tille the day of Dome be 
the myracle of God.' (Edit. 1725.) 

So speaks the truthful knight, recorder of so many 
marvels, and, strange to say, five centuries after his 
death the idea of a great cloud covering the beautiful 
Abkhasian country seems not without a certain figura- 
tive truth to the traveller who passes through its lonely 
valleys. It would be hard to find anything fairer 
and richer than the meadows and forests by which the 
Kodor flows, and we saw them under the full strength 
of the southern sun to which the land owes much of 
its extraordinary fertility ; but though hardly any 
natural beauty seemed wanting to the magnificent 
valley, it was impossible to traverse it without that 
feeling of gloom and desolation which comes from the 
absence of any sign of human occupation. Dwellers in 
the upper part of the vale there are none whatever. We 
did indeed meet three pale, hungry-looking wayfarers 
on their way to the northern side of the chain, but 
they in nowise belonged to the valley, and were hasten- 
ing out of it as quickly as they could. Considerably 
lower down we found some engineers surveying, and 
there is a Russian post at Lata where once was a native 
village. But soldiers of an alien race holding a coun- 
try cannot be looked on as inhabitants, and above the 
river Tchkhalta there are not even soldiers. The finest 
part of the Kodor is a gorgeous solitude, and its lone- 
liness is the more impressive that it is a very garden of 
the earth. As we went our way over the rich broken 



GREAT FERTILITY. 



325 



prairie which forms the wide base of the upper part of 
the valley, we passed scenes of beauty such as could 
not be rivalled on the Italian side of the Alps, and the 
fertility of this Caucasian Eden is equal to its splen- 
dour. We found, growing wild, peaches, apples, 
plums, strawberries, cherries, crab-apples, walnuts, and 
filberts. There were also wild raspberry and currant- 
bushes, wild vines and hops. Perhaps a more generous 
soil does not exist. It was almost appalling to find a 
land thus teeming with the fruits of the earth altogether 
deserted bv men. It seemed as though there hung 
over this beautiful Kodor some curse as heavy as that 
of which Maundevile, after the fashion of his time, 
strove to give material description. Despite its noble 
and varied beauty there was an unutterable sadness 
about this valley of the shadow of death. 

Even for our shallow and Drating followers it had a 
mournful association. At one place, where the turf 
was marked by what looked like some rough heaps of 
logs, the men halted, and turning towards the East 
muttered a few words. When I learnt the meaning of 
this I almost forgave their dishonesty and lying. Here 
it seems in former days was a great fight between the 
Abkhazians and the warriors of the Kuban valley. 
The log-heaps marked the tombs of the northern 
heroes, and, in accordance with a beautiful usage, the 
Mussulmen of the Karatchai never pass this place 
without pausing to say a prayer by the graves of their 
countrymen dead in honourable war. 



326 



THE VALLEY OF THE KOD OR. 



Otherwise our followers gave us little cause for 
liking them better that clay. They loitered and 
dawdled with more than Caucasian indolence, thereby 
greatly increasing the severity of their labour, for, as 
any one who has carried a burden in a mountain 
country knows, irregular walking makes the work 
much harder. Moore had said to them in the Kliitch 
valley, c If you go well and get us to Lata in three 
days, we will pay you as for four days. This I swear 
to you by running water, the British Parliament, or 
any other type of purity.' But now, when reminded of 
this, the judge answered with prompt rhetoric : — 
' Money is a good thing, a very good thing ; but better 
still is that breath which is the life of man (putting 
his hands on his huge chest). If we walk so as to do 
ourselves grievous harm, of what avail will an extra 
day's pay be ? ' Wherein verbally the judge had 
much the best of it, though as a matter of fact he and 
the rest were dawdling abominably and eating wild 
fruit, whether ripe or not, with a hideous indifference 
to results. 

We got them along, however, by hook or by crook, 
and reached towards noon what is perhaps the grandest 
part of the valley, that where the Tchkhalta flows 
into the Kodor. The track rises to the top of a spur 
which forming the left bank of the tributary stream, 
juts for some distance into the great vale, and from 
the height thus gained there is a noble and marvellous 
prospect of the wild but beautiful glen through which 



INDOLENCE OF OUR FOLLOWERS. 



327 



the Tchkhalta rushes, of the mighty valley of the Kodor, 
and of a very lovely wooded dale which opens into it 
from the south nearly opposite the Tchkhalta, alto- 
gether a sight not to be forgotten as seen under a mid- 
day sun. At the head of the Tchkhalta valley is a fine 
peak, which is disclosed with singular abruptness to 
those who are descending the vale of the Kodor. 

That great valley narrows somewhat below this 
stream; the forest creeps nearer down to the river, 
and much of our way was in the grateful shadow of 
the woods ; but, sunlight or shadow, there was no 
getting our men over the ground at anything ap- 
proaching a fair pace. They were civil and submissive 
now, having entirely abandoned their native inso- 
lence, but in spite of all we could say they flopped 
down at every tempting-looking place, just as people 
do after a picnic at Burnham Beeches or Bushey Park, 
but without the fair excuse which such can give of 
having eaten and drunk too much. Save in so far as 
the Caucasians had indulged in a taste for wild fruit, 
the diet of both travellers and followers that day and 
the evening before had been such as might have suited 
a Trappist monk in Holy Week. Empty or full, how- 
ever, our men were impartially indolent, and we were 
discussing the expediency of two of the party pushing 
on to Lata to get horses if possible, leaving the others 
to guard the baggage, when suddenly in an open space 
among the trees we came to tents assuredly not made 
or occupied by Caucasians. It was the encampment 



328 



THE VALLEY OF THE KOI) OR. 



of a Russian officer engaged in surveying the country , 
who had pushed thus far forward in the beautiful 
wilderness. Very naturally he wondered not a little 
at the sudden appearance of four travellers from the 
depths of the forest of the Kodor. 

When it was explained to him who the vagrants 
were, however, he was most kind and courteous, as 
were invariably the Russian officers whom we met 
during our journey. He gave us all the information 
we needed, and with the greatest good-nature allowed 
us to take for our course to Lata two horses and a 
Mingrelian their owner who with his animals was 
attached to the encampment. We were able therefore 
to get rid of the men of Utchkulan. I believe there 
was heartfelt pleasure at parting on both sides. Since 
we had been on the southern slopes of the chain, and 
as we approached the Russian post, our followers had 
become civil, nay, almost obsequious and deferential. 
Whether the officer at Lata would have punished them 
simply on our complaint I very much doubt, but cer- 
tain it is that they were oppressed by a vague fear of 
having their misdeeds visited on them, and were only 
too glad to be allowed to turn back and get on their 
way home without any awkward questions being- 
raised. As dismissing them was our act we paid 
them as for the whole journey, to their huge surprise 
and delight, for they fully expected to have their hire 
largely docked, not understanding how we, having 
now the best position, could fail to take advantage of 



A FAREWELL SPEECH. 



329 



it. The judge was almost unmanned when, having 
carefully counted the rouble notes, he found the sum 
correct, and sent us a message that he had some words 
to say to us, and entreated us to hear him. We 
agreed of course ; whereupon the judge addressed 
himself to the engineer officer's servant, who under- 
stood his language better than Paul. This man 
translated what was said into Mingrelian for Paul, and 
Paul rendered the discourse to us. Thus well reported 
the judge spoke : — 6 Tell the gentlemen/ he said, 6 that 
we feel indeed what noble and honourable persons they 
are, and how greatly above us. It has been most 
truly a pleasure to serve them. For those wild, foolish, 
and miserable words which were spoken two nights 
ago, we most humbly implore the gentlemen to forgive 
us. I did indeed endeavour to restrain the young 
men, but they were full of folly and violence, and 
would not listen to me (he had been the worst of them 
all). Now in truth they feel how bad and vile their 
conduct was (murmurs of assent from the others), and 
we all pray the gentlemen to forgive us, and to look 
upon the words spoken as those of mere madmen and 
idiots, meaning nothing, for madmen and idiots indeed 
we were when we insulted men so honourable and so 
much above us. We were dogs and sons of dogs to 
behave as we did (applause), and indeed the gentle- 
men may well despise what was said, and look upon it 
as so much mud, dirt, and mire under their feet (ge- 
neral assent from the rest.) ' 



330 



THE VALLEY OF THE KODOR. 



Such was the full and ample apology of these 
strange fellows. Did it come from mere fulsome ser- 
vility at being paid more than they expected, or from 
honest regret taking an exaggerated form ? Perhaps 
both feelings prompted the men of ITtchkulan, in whom, 
whatever one might think of their character, there cer- 
tainly was one thing to admire, and that was their 
stout indifference to fasting. They had the smallest 
possible stock of food for their two days' walk back to 
the Kuban, but for this they seemed to care nothing. 
The Caucasians assuredly are not the slaves of their 
appetites. Let any one try to imagine the consterna- 
tion and fury of a party of Swiss guides who found that 
for a two days' march their only provisions were some 
miserable scraps of mouldy bread. 

As for us, we got the Mingrelian and his pack- 
horses off as soon as we could, for there was still a long 
stretch of country between us and Lata, and went on 
our way through the forest over the worst planned 
path I have ever seen. It was tiring work, for the 
heat was, as it had been all day, intense, and the way 
lay over a series of steep and for the most part unneces- 
sary ups and downs ; but unlooked-for recompenses for 
labour and fasting are sometimes at hand in the 
Caucasus, and, as in the beginning of our journey we 
had lighted on that wonderful rhododendron garden on 
the slopes above the Kion, so now we came to a sight 
of such surpassing beauty as to be more than full reward 



BEAUTIFUL VIEW. 



331 



for hunger and the weariness of following that rushed 
Abkhasian track. 

From a little open place in the woods where the 
path wound round a spur, there opened suddenly the 
vista of the great vale. Afar off at the head, stately 
sad-looking rock peaks, snow-crowned ; below these 
and in apt contrast with their desolate grandeur, the 
promontories and slopes of the rich, smiling valley 
covered through all their great extent, and down even to 
the place where we stood, by the deep-toned but varied 
colour of the magnificent forest ; beneath, a fair meadow- 
land, through which flashed the rapid Kodor — a scene 
almost perfect in its fulness of beauty, as looked on 
by the light of a southern sunset ; but one would fain 
have beheld some sign of human life in this splendid, 
solitary vale. 

A sign of life we did indeed see considerably lower 
down, but it was due to a mere pioneer in the fertile 
wilderness, like the Russian officer whom we had 
already met. J ust after nightfall we came to the en- 
campment of a second engineer, employed like the 
first in surveying the valley. As we were still some 
little distance from Lata, and as the track was not 
such as would be delectable in the dark, we camped 
here for the night. There was a little bit of level 
ground where we could have slept pleasantly enough, 
if only the engineer's horses had not been in the habit 
of browsing there. Xow there is an old saving that a 
horse will not tread on a sleeping man, but from my 



332 



THE VALLEY OF THE KODOR. 



experience of that night I would strongly advise 
travellers to avoid, if possible, putting this saying to 
the test. Two hours' walk next morning took us to 
Lata, which consists of a large barrack, an adjoining 
building used as a hospital, and a number of trim 
white cottages. These have succeeded the native 
dwellings which once stood here, but have now alto- 
gether disappeared. The situation in a wide undulating 
meadow broken by trees and underwood, with the 
great forest on either side, is extremely beautiful, and 
one of the streams of the Kodor here running through 
several channels flows hard by the houses. A plea- 
santer place than this seems for man to live in could 
hardly be desired, but there hangs over it, as over all 
the fair country round, a terrible curse, the weight of 
which we were in some degree destined to feel. The 
powerful sun acting on the teeming vegetation raises 
the subtle miasma so often found in places of rare 
beauty, and the magnificent valley of the Kodor is full 
of malaria. Lata is so unhealthy that it has been 
found necessary to buiJd a hospital for the soldiers of 
the garrison at Zebelda, which is some distance lower 
down the valley, but stands on higher ground. Here 
the men can recover from the effects of the illness, but 
at Lata convalescence is extremely slow, sometimes 
impossible. The fever, we were told, rarely kills on 
the first attack, but is not unfrequently fatal if taken 
a second time, so that the Kodor is to no small number 
in truth the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Passing 



CAPTAIN SAMOELENSKY. 



333 



through the country as we did in full summer time, 
and sleeping two nights on the ground, we were not 
likely to escape, and we all four suffered afterwards 
from the fever, which took ten or twelve days to incul- 
cate. Two of my companions, I regret to say, were 
very seriously ill from it on the first attack, and have 
had more than one relapse since, for after the fashion 
of malaria fevers it is, if taken badly, apt to recur, an 
obstinate and unwelcome visitor whom it is exceedingly 
difficult finally to dismiss. The engineer at whose 
camp we passed the night came down during the day 
suffering from the common illness. 

Risks of this kind, however, must often be run in 
travel, and we thought not at all of the fever during the 
day we stopped at Lata, where Captain Samoelensky, 
the commandant, gave us a welcome which could hardly 
have been more kindly and genial if we had been old 
friends instead of utter strangers. A man must have 
journeyed in a wild country to know how pleasant it is 
to be thus greeted on returning to civilisation. The 
authorities at Tiflis had written to the Governor of 
Soukhoum Kaleh, and he had informed Captain 
Sameolensky of our probable arrival. He thus knew 
who we were, but had it been otherwise, our appearance 
would certainly have justified him in putting us under 
arrest as armed and singularly suspicious vagabonds. 

There was no possibility of getting on further that 
day, and Lata was a place well-suited for that lounging 
indolence which is so grateful after hard walking. The 



334 



THE VALLEY OF THE KOI) OR. 



principal amusement of the soldiers seemed to be rear- 
ing bees, and there was an immense collection of hives 
all fully tenanted. That the men should not seek any 
severe form of industry appeared to us most natural, 
for the heat at Lata was intense, and the air oppressive 
and enervating. The night was almost as close as the 
day, and no one was sorry to make an early start. By 
the courtesy of a Russian colonel, who was at Lata 
for an inspection of the garrison, we were allowed to 
take two horses belonging to the troop to carry our 
baggage to Soukhoum Kaleh. Our that day's goal 
was Zebelda. 

The path, after running for a time parallel to the 
river, turns aside to the north to pass a ridge projecting 
far into the valley. Easy zigzags lead through the 
forest of which the limit is now well-nigh reached, and 
when the watershed is gained there is seen to the west 
a country of gentle hill and dale, pretty no doubt, but 
tame indeed after the gorgeous grandeur of the Klutch 
and the Kodor. Below, at no very great distance, is a 
trim village, inhabited by some of the Greek colonists 
whom the Imperial Government is establishing in the 
country. Two paths lead from the top of the ridge to 
Zebelda, one passing through the Greek village, the 
other to the left of it ; according to the surly young 
Polish soldiers who had been sent in charge of the 
horses, the latter of these ways was the best, in which 
case the track to the habitations of the Greeks must be 
bad indeed. After following a rough and stony path 



ZEBELDA. 



335 



down the side of the ridge, and then across some undu- 
lating country, we crossed the two branches of the 
Amtjkal, both of which happily were bridged, and 
then a short walk over some gently rising meadow- 
land took us to Zebelda, which was reached early in 
the afternoon. 

The track led us to the so-called fort, a low rickety- 
looking building, surrounded by a wall, Close to this 
was a cantine, and some distance off, on higher ground, 
the hospital. We had gone nearly north from the 
valley of the Kodor in the morning to cross the ridge, 
but after this is passed the path turns to the west, de- 
scending into the Amtjkal valley, which opens into 
that of the Kodor. Zebelda is situated in compara- 
tively open ground high above the junction of the two 
streams, and commands a fine view of both valleys, 
that of the Amtjkal being from this point the most 
striking. The Kodor river turns sharply to the south- 
west at the point where the Amtjkal joins it, and flows 
to the Black Sea through country pretty perhaps, but 
tame and commonplace compared with that through 
which its early course is run. 

The courteous Russian colonel who had kindly 
allowed us to take a couple of horses from Lata, was 
at Zebelda that night, having to inspect the hospital, 
where all possible care seemed to be taken of the inva- 
lids, a number of whom, poor wan ghosts of men, were 
hovering about, their pitiful weakness telling only too 
clearly of the poison which is breathed in the air of beau- 



336 



THE LAST MARCH. 



tiful Lata. In the evening arrived a party of engineer 
officers, who had been engaged in examining the Maruk 
pass from the northern side of the chain to Zebelda 
and Soukhoum Kaleh. Their next task was to be the 
Nakhar, of which, so far as its fitness for traffic went, 
Ave were able to give them no very encouraging ac- 
count. The Imperial Government is justly anxious to 
have a good road made between Soukhoum and the 
country north of the range, so perhaps before this 
there has been invasion of the solitudes of the beautiful 
Kodor. 

We started early next morning, as the distance 
from Zebelda to Soukhoum Kaleh is considerable, and 
journeyed through a smiling country of hill and dale, 
much wooded, fertile seemingly, and pretty enough, 
but moulded on a small scale, and petty compared with 
the glorious mountain-land we had so lately looked on. 
The way was for some time down the glen watered 
by the Machara, and the road recently repaired and 
laid out anew in places told of an engineering different 
from that of the Caucasians. The inhabitants whom 
we met were no longer full of astonishment and 
curiosity at the sight of wanderers clad in the hideous 
clothes which mark the civilised man. We were in an 
untravelled country no longer. 

Toiling on under a heat that would have done 
honour to the tropics, we came about midday — having 
quitted the regular track — to a Greek settlement on 
the left bank of the rapid Kelasur. The houses, many 



GREEK SETTLEMENT. 



337 



of them lately built, looked, after the rough huts of the 
north, as neat as model cottages, but, unless I am 
greatly mistaken, there was much squalor and wretched- 
ness within these spruce abodes. The place was full 
of malaria. Several of the men whom we saw about 
were obviously just recovering from the fever, and 
going into one of the cottages I found three poor 
fellows down in the grip of the enemy. The preva- 
lence of this kind of illness and the enervating 
climate seem to have deprived the colonists of all 
energy, for they have not had industry enough to 
throw a bridge over the Kelasur, which they must 
cross to go to Soukhoum, and the river therefore has 
to be passed by fording, which must always be a task 
of some difficulty, and is probably impossible after 
heavy rains. 

After w r e had waded through the swift waters, 
there befell us a mishap which has happened often 
enough to travellers when nigh to their journey's end. 
We more or less lost the way. We were near Souk- 
houm Kaleh, and there the march would close — there 
was our goal ; and not a little was that goal now 
desired, for the country was no longer interesting, and 
the fatigue of walking that afternoon was almost inde- 
scribable. The heat, made the more oppressive by the 
closeness of the laden atmosphere, exceeded any that 
I have known out of the tropics, and much that I 
have known in them. It nearly dazed us, coming as 
we did from the cool bracing air of the northern 

z 



338 



THE LAST MARCH. 



slopes of the mountains ; and even the two Poles, wiry 
young fellows as could be seen, and accustomed to the 
climate, were greatly exhausted. Soukhoum Kaleh, 
and the fall of the curtain on the last scene of the 
last act, were longed for much. 

But the place which a short time before had been 
thought near at hand seemed to have become remote. 
We could not tell how far we were from it, or when 
we should reach it, as uncertain of the right direction 
we wandered somewhat aimlessly on. Although we were 
close to the sea, it w T as still hidden from us. One of the 
Poles, who had some idea of the way, said that we 
should not see the waters until w T e were near to 
Soukhoum, and the sight of them was therefore greatly 
desired; but from the top of each slight rise in the 
ground nothing more was to be seen than the rich un- 
dulating country, and, for anything that appeared, the 
Euxine might have been a hundred miles off. 

I was in some degree distracted from the weary 
discomfort of that torrid afternoon by meditating over 
a question which had suggested itself to me, and may 
also occur to those who have thus far followed these 
pages. To what extent, I asked myself, can the Cau- 
casus be considered as fit for travellers, putting out of 
question sybarites on the one side, and explorers ready 
for any hardship or danger on the other. The question 
did not prove very easy to answer. 

Most men loudly profess their indifference to 
' roughing it ' in the abstract, but this may frequently 



CAUCASIAN TRAVEL. 



339 



be construed to mean that they will always be ready 
for any kind of discomfort except the particular kind 
they are called on to undergo. Now in the Caucasus 
a traveller must be prepared to 6 rough it/ if he wants 
to see the real mountain country. On the northern 
side, it is true, there will be nothing very severe for 
him to undergo. He will have to sleep out sometimes, 
fair weather or foul ; to put up, when housed, with the 
poorest lodging and with a good deal of dirt ; to carry a 
large quantity of live stock about with him ; to do with- 
out alcoholic drink of any kind whatever ; and to submit 
now and then to very short rations, for though daily 
supplies of good mutton and indigestible bread can 
always be obtained in the villages, it is, as has been 
said, often exceedingly difficult to get a stock for a two 
or three days' expedition. Such troubles as these, how- 
ever, very moderate fortitude will enable the traveller 
to bear, but from what I heard, and from what I saw, 
it certainly seemed to me that, on the southern side, 
there might be hardship, sometimes even danger. 
There is the chance of fever, a visitation from which 
in the mountains would probably be trying. Food is 
occasionally difficult to get, for the cogent reason that 
the natives have very little themselves ; or for the yet 
more cogent reason, that there are not any natives. All 
that has to be purchased is the subject of infinite hag- 
gling and extortion, the men of the south being very 
adepts in cozenage. The dirt is worse than that of 
the north. Theft is not uncommon, and in what is 

z 2 



340 



THE LAST MARCH. 



said to be the most beautiful district of the whole 
Southern Caucasus there is some danger to life. The 
inhabitants of Suenetia have a great taste for homicide. 
Dread of punishment by the Russians will usually 
prevent them from suppressing a stranger, but they 
are an impulsive people, and may, if excited, be carried 
away by their feelings and cut a traveller's head off, 
yielding to a strong natural yearning, and deaf for the 
moment to the promptings of self-interest. 

It appeared to me then that the Caucasus could 
not at present be considered as set in order, swept, 
and garnished for travellers. No doubt things will 
alter, may alter too rapidly on the northern side, if 
the railway brings civilisation there to change the 
patriarchal life of the Mohammedans ; but probably for 
some time to come a journey through the valleys which 
lie under the great peaks will present more novelty 
than will be altogether liked when compared with a 
trip in Switzerland or the Tyrol, and will possibly be 
found trying by luxurious or irritable men. 

But for practised travellers, for sportsmen in the 
true sense of that much-abused word, it certainly 
would seem that one part of the Caucasus yet 
untrodden is of the highest interest and attraction. 
We had seen something of this region, and would fain 
have seen more. On the southern side of the chain, 
and bounded on the east by the Ingur river, is a great 
tract of magnificent country, scored by deep valleys, 
watered by powerful streams, and covered by a mighty 



ABKHAZIAN VALLEYS. 



341 



forest. To the confines of this region belong on the 
north-west the Kodor, and on the east those woodland 
hunting-grounds of which Mohammed at Urusbieh 
had spoken with such enthusiasm. So far as I could 
learn, there are no inhabitants whatever, and the soli- 
tude of the district is only disturbed when a few 
hunters from the north venture into it after the game 
in which it is said to abound. There would be diffi- 
culty no doubt in exploring it, and danger from 
malaria, but some hardship might well be undergone 
and some risk run to see these magnificent untrodden 
glens, and to follow the mountain game which would 
be found in their recesses. 

Surely, I thought, in these days when men go so 
far to seek untravelled country and for virgin hunting- 
grounds, it should be remembered that the valleys of 
EasternAbkhasia are as yet but little known, and that 
the beasts of forest and mountain are there to try the 
hunter's craft. But here my meditations were inter- 
rupted by a cry from one of the Poles, and looking up 
I saw the waters of the Euxine, a great sheet of light 
under the declining sun, and close at hand the plea- 
sant bay and trim white houses of Soukhoum Kaleh. 



LONDON : PRINTED BY 
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE 
AND PARLIAMENT STREET 



Recently published (1869). 

Uniform with ' The Erosty Caucasus,' with Three Maps, Two Panoramas 
of Summits, Four full-page Engravings on Wood, and Sixteen 
"Woodcuts in the Text, in One Volume, price 18$. 

T1RAVELS in CENTRAL CAUCASUS and BASHAN : 
including Visits to Ararat and Tabreez, and Ascents of 
Kazbek and Elbruz. By Douglas W. Freshfield, Author of 
' Italian Alps/ and Editor of ' The Alpine Journal.' 

Although the ethnology and history of the Caucasus have been 
treated of by various authors, information concerning its natural 
features had been up to the appearance of this volume scanty and 
difficult of access; and until the Summer of 1868 no Englishman had 
visited the most interesting of the chain, and its two most famous 
summits, Kazbek and Elbruz, were still unascended. The chief aim 
of the journey described in the present volume was to explore the 
interior of the chain and to effect the ascents of Kazbek and Elbruz. 
The Writer and his friends hoped, by penetrating on foot the recesses of 
the mountains, to learn the form of the peaks, the extent of the snow- 
fields and glaciers, and the character of the forest and flora, so as to be 
able to draw a general comparison between the Caucasus and the Alps. 

Before, however, carrying out this part of their design the travellers 
made a rapid journey through Syria, in the course of which they visited 
the Hauran and Lejah districts, recently brought into notice by the 
supposed identification of the ruined towns still existing in them with 
the cities of the gigantic Rephaim laid waste by the Israelites. The 
Author records his conviction that this theory is unfounded, and that 
the ruins of the so-called ' Giant Cities ' are in fact composed of Roman 
edifices mixed with many buildings of more recent date. 

On landing in the Caucasus (which they reached by Russian steamer 
from Constantinople) the travellers proceeded to Tiflis, whence they 
made an expedition along the Persian nigh-road to Tabreez. On their 
return they partially ascended Ararat, paid a visit to the Armenian 
Patriarch at Etchmiadzin, and traversed a little-known portion of the 
Georgian and Arminian highlands. 

Starting from Tiflis at the end of June, the travellers spent the next 
two months in mountain exploration. During this time they made the 
first successful as#ents of Kazbek and Elbruz, traversed eleven passes, 
varying from 8,000 to 12,000 feet in height, and examined the sources 
of eight rivers and both flanks of the main chain for a distance of 120 
miles. The greater portion of the volume is occupied by the narrative 
of their adventures in the mountains, and the difficulties arising both 
from the roughness of the country and of its inhabitants. The Author 
describes the Ossetes, a tribe known as ' the gentlemen of the Caucasus,' 
and contrasts the slothful and churlish Mingrelian races on the south 
side of the chain with the industrious and hospitable Tartars on the north. 

Having crossed the main range by the Mamison Pass to the Rion 
sources, the party made an expedition to the Uruch Valley and back 
across the previously untrodden snow-fields of the central chain. The 
travellers' route then led them through the pathless swamps and 
forests of the Zenes-Squali into Suanetia, a mountain basin renowned 
for the barbarism of its inhabitants, the extraordinary richness of its 



Mr. D. Fkeshfield's Travels in Central Caucasus and Bashan. 



vegetation, and the startling grandeur of the great peaks that overlook 
it. After more than one narrow escape from robbery, if not from actual 
violence, the Author and his companions passed along the valley to 
Pari, a Kussian post ; whence they again crossed the chain to the foot 
of Elbruz. Having ascended this mountain (18,520 feet), they pro- 
ceeded to Patigorsk, the centre of the Russian watering-places in Cis- 
caucasia and remarkable for the volume and variety of its mineral 
springs. 

Before returning to Tiflis by Vladikafkaz and the Dariel Pass, the 
party explored the upper valleys of the Tcherek and Uruch, the 
entrances of which are guarded by stupendous defiles far exceeding in 
grandeur any Alpine gorges. The Tcherek has its source in the vast 
glaciers flowing from the flanks of Koschtantau and Dychtau, two of 
the most magnificent mountains of the range, which have hitherto 
remained in undeserved obscurity. 

The concluding pages are devoted to a comparison between the 
Alps and the Caucasus, to a short account of a visit to the Crimea, and 
the Author's homeward journey across Russia. It is hoped that this 
record of travel and adventure amongst the mountain fastnesses of the 
Caucasus may prove of sufficient interest to draw the attention of 
Englishmen to a range surpassing the Alps by two thousand feet in the 
average height of its peaks, abounding in noble scenery and picturesque 
inhabitants, and even now within the reach of many ' long-vacation 
tourists.' 

The Maps comprise a Route Map of the Hauran, the Caucasian 
Provinces, and the Central Caucasus. The Map of the Central Caucasus 
is reduced from the Five-Verst Map, executed by the Russian Topo- 
graphical Department at Tiflis, with many corrections suggested by the 
experience of the Writer and his fellow-travellers. 

The full-page Illustrations are four views of Elbruz from the North, 
Ararat, and Kazbek from the South, and as seen from the Post Station. 

The Panoramas show the Caucasus from Patigorsk, and the 
Koschtantau Group. 

List of the Woodcuts in the Text : — 



A G-eorgian Church 
The Georgian Castle, Tiflis 
Mountaineers in Armour 
An Ossete Village 
An Ossete 

Peaks of Adai Khokh 

Source of the Eastern Zenes-Squali 

Our Camp-fire in the Forest 



' We are delighted with Mr. Fresh- 
field's book. The lovers of mountain 
scenery will read his descriptions of 
peaks and passes with unflagging 
interest, and their hearts will beat 
quickly as they read of the adventures 
conducted with so much energy, per- 
severance, and intelligence.' 

Land and Water. 



A Native of Jibiani 

Tau Tbtonal from above Latal 

Uschba 

Woman of TJruspieh 

Peak in the Tcherek Valley 

The Fortress of Dariel 

The G-rand Ducal Villa, Borjom 

A Mingrelian Winejar 



' The book is written in a simple and 
manly style, and gives an agreeable 
impression of the spirit in which the 

travellers carried out their design 

We may congratulate Mr. Fresh field 
on having achieved a much rarer feat 
than the ascent of mountains, that of re- 
cording his performances in a thoroughly 
satisfactory manner.' 

Pall Mall Gazette. 



London, LONGMANS & CO. 



